Aduro Et Ater: Revertor
by Lady Nessa
Summary: SEQUEL TO ADURO ET ATER: Van Helsing is doing his best to comfort his daughter, Bethany and things haven't been easy. Boy problems, friend problems and a possibility of a mole in the Order are only the start. Things only get worse when a someone returns.
1. Prologue

**ADURO ET ATER: REVERTOR**

**PROLOGUE**

Bethany ducked to avoid being hit. Her opponent was almost her even. If she wasn't careful, he would win. She didn't want that at all. That would only make him smug. She wanted to avoid that at all costs. Besides, she had a reputation to uphold. Catching their punch, Beth pulled them over her hip. She heard them groan in pain when they hit the floor.

"You're faster than you look."

"That comes with practice, Keeran." Beth answered as she brushed her dark brown hair from her eyes. It was a few inches longer than shoulder length, longer than it usually was and kind of curled at the ends. Her eyes were crystal pools of bright green, which she had inherited from her mother, Elise. Her creamy skin was pale from working at night all the time, but she wasn't as pale as some. There was still color to her skin.

The black shirt, corset, pants and boots she wore framed her figure perfectly. She was slim and toned from being an agent in the Knights of the Holy Order. One thing was for sure, the Order certainly had kept her on her toes. Even though she was a hardened hunter, Beth was still a beauty. That, again, was something she had inherited from her mother. Of course, if anyone told her that was pretty, she would casually dismiss it. Huntresses weren't meant to catch the eyes of men. Bethany offered her hand to Keeran to help him up.

Keeran was an interesting boy. He was only a year older than Beth was. She was 16 and he was 17. The boy was always dressed in all black, which wasn't that unusual around the Order. But what was unusual, however, was the fact that he always wore black gloves over his hands. His hair was pulled back into a ponytail and it was as black as ink. Keeran was forever wearing a hat, so Beth had never really seen his face. Then again, she doubted anyone had. He had joined the Order about six months ago. Bethany, on the other hand, had been here since she was eight. That was why _she_ was training _him_. Also, Jinette ordered her to.

Keeran took Beth's hand and pulled hard. Beth lost her balance and fell on the ground. Keeran was up in a flash and placed his foot on her stomach.

"I win." He said smugly. Bethany fought the urge to roll her eyes.

Without any hesitation whatsoever, Beth grabbed his ankle and pulled. Keeran was thrown to the ground almost instantly. Beth was then on her feet. She placed her boot on his throat and gently pressed down.

"You're getting better." Bethany corrected him. The girl then moved away from him to get her black, ankle-length, leather coat.

"You aren't going to help me up?"

"No." Beth replied rather bluntly as she turned to him and slipped her coat on over her shoulders. "I'm not going to fall for that again."

Keeran sighed and pushed himself up to stand.

"What are you doing for dinner?" Keeran asked the girl as he put on his long, black cloak.

"I'm just going to eat something." Beth replied, feeling a little uncomfortable. Keeran had a habit of doing that to her…and she didn't like it. She was uncomfortable because she knew what was probably coming next.

"I was wondering if you would like to join me." He half stated, half asked.

And there it was. Okay, now Beth was _very_ uncomfortable. Unlike most girls her age, Bethany wasn't married, engaged, or looking to do so. She didn't even have a boyfriend. Frankly, she wasn't interested in the whole idea. Keeran kept asking her to accompany him to several different places, but Beth always told him no. Honestly, was he ever going to take a hint? Besides, sometimes he just gave her the creeps.

"That's nice of you Keeran, but I'm helping Carl with something and I don't know how long it will take." She answered as calmly as she could, making an effort to be polite.

"Some other time then." Keeran then nodded to her and quickly left the room.

Beth sighed heavily once he was gone. A lot of the young girls in the Order had a thing for him, but Beth didn't. She guessed they liked him a lot because he was the 'dark and mysterious' type. They found that attractive for some reason. She did know, however, that Keeran knows that a lot of girls like him. Therefore, his head often swells to twice it's recommended size. Beth grabbed her black, wide-brimmed hat, placed it on her head and then pulled it low over her glittering emerald eyes. She then sighed irately.

"Men."

The teenage girl ended up helping her long time friend, William Larc most of the day. He was 17, soon to be 18. He had cut his hair since Beth had last come back to the Order six months ago during the disastrous Transylvania assignment. It was a sandy blonde color and just long enough to fall into his deep sapphire blue eyes. He was handsome and muscular from having to train the newbies who entered the Order. He also went out on missions every now and then, but no where near as much as Beth did. Usually, he stayed in the lab with his Uncle Carl making stuff explode. It was really no surprise when Bethany found the pair hunched over a table covered in papers.

"Hi Will."

The two scientists jumped and looked up to see Beth smiling at them.

"We didn't hear you." Will said flashing one of his smiles at her. That smile made a lot of the girls around melt as well. There were two guys in the Order that all the young girls fawned over. They were Will and Keeran. Keeran was the designated 'bad boy', and Will was the 'knight in shining armor' that any girl could take home to their parents and live happily ever after with. Of course, Will knew that many of the girls liked him, but it never bothered him much. He was in love with his work. Beth returned the smile he gave her.

"What are you working on?"

"Nothing really in particular." Carl replied.

"Want to help anyway?" Will asked the girl. She nodded.

"It's better than going to dinner with Keeran." Beth mumbled.

Will stiffened up like he always did when someone mentioned Keeran around him. Beth knew perfectly well what Will's thoughts on the boy were. He was another Mikal. Mikal was another agent in the Order who was much older than they were. He thought he was a hot shot and slept with a different girl ever single week, but he would only keep her around that long if he liked her a _lot_. Mikal wasn't loyal to Jinette and everyone knew it. He preferred to follow the 'politician', as Beth often called him. His real name was Cardinal Amery, second in command at the Order right under Jinette. Amery had approached Beth a few times to try and get her to 'see his reasoning' as he would so often put it. The last time Bethany saw him, she had threatened to shoot him and flipped him off. That was only last week. (She knew that she'd probably go to Hell for that too…but, man! It felt good!)

Bethany was extremely loyal to Jinette. He had been there for Beth when she was only a small child and he had been close friends with her grandparents, Charlotte and Jean. They had even named Jinette her legal guardian when they died. Besides, Jinette is a good guy and (in Beth's opinion) a good leader. That's why he was the head and Amery wasn't.

"When did he ask you to do that?" Carl asked looking up from his papers. He had a pair of spectacles over his eyes that made them look one hundred times larger than they really were. Typical Carl.

"About ten minutes ago." Bethany replied in a sigh.

"You said 'no', right?" Will asked, sounding a little worried.

"Of course I did! Sometimes he just gives me the creeps!" Beth said picking up an odd looking what she guessed was a gun and began fiddling with it.

"Besides, I'm not the dating type anyway. I'd scare all the men away in a matter of seconds."

The teenage girl accidentally hit something and a small silver ball rolled from it. The little ball rolled across the table and then began to bounce on the floor. Carl and Will quickly dived under the table. Will then grabbed Beth's arm and forced her to do the same.

"Hit the deck!" Will screamed. Half the lab, recognizing the warning that frequently rang through the air, scrambled for shelter. The small silver ball then exploded. There was a thunderous boom and a large ball of fire that slowly vanished. When it had, the normal commotion of the lab continued on, most people mumbling about Carl's dangerous inventions. Beth, Will and Carl then came out from their shelter. Beth's just looked Carl and Will over with her mouth open slightly in shock.

"Remind me _never_ to touching anything on your table _ever_ again." Beth told them.

Only one out of the three of them knew that, from hidden deep in the shadows that they had grown to love, someone was rolling their ice blue eyes.


	2. Old Acquaintances

**CHAPTER ONE**

Bethany was getting ready for bed. Her day had been tiring with dealing with Keeran and all. She had pulled her hair back so she could see and had changed into a pale blue, short-sleeved night gown that tied around her waist. Over it was a black robe, tied shut. She was in the sitting room of her and her father's quarters that the Order had given them. It was a long rectangle with a door to the halls of the Vatican at one end and a door to the grounds on the opposite side, the front and back door. One wall was entirely covered in books and the whole room was lit by candles an the occasional oil lamp. To the side was an opening to a hallway that lead to the library, Carl's miniature lab, Van Helsing's bed room and Bethany's bed room. It was a cozy space and Beth liked it that way.

Van Helsing then entered the sitting room to see her. He was barefoot and in an old pair of black pants and an un-tucked grey poet shirt, his usual night attire.

"I'm off to bed, midget." Van Helsing told his daughter and kissed her good night on the forehead.

"Night dad."

The hunter then vanished down the hall and into his bedroom. Bethany grabbed a book from one of the book shelves and headed to her room, covering a yawn as she did so. She was tired, yes, but she felt like reading something that didn't involve vampires, werewolves or anything like that. She had had enough of those for a while. Heck, she had enough of them to last a life time back in Transylvania. She shivered slightly at remembering the details of that assignment. She was _still_ having nightmares about that place.

A powerful knock then came at the back door, pulling the girl out of her memories. Beth whirled around to face it in surprise. Who in their right mind would be out after dark in the rain? The knock came again, only this time more urgently. Sighing, Beth walked across the room to answer the door, setting the book down on the coffee table as she past it. The knock came for a third time, only it was more of a 'trying to break down the door' knock than a 'please answer the door' kind of knock.

"I'm coming!" Beth shouted moments before she put her hand on the door knob.

Bethany opened the door and froze. Standing in the rain was a girl who looked Beth's age dressed all in black with a black cloak hanging off her shoulders. Her hair was midnight black and there was a small piece of it that fell in her face since it refused to stay in the French braid that the rest of her hair was in. The girl was pale, making her sharp, ice blue eyes stand out even more. At the moment, sheer annoyance shown in them. She was about an inch or so taller than Bethany herself and had pronounced features that made her very pretty. Her features almost gave her the look of a noble woman, no matter how far she looked from being one at the moment.

Bethany couldn't believe it. She saw it, but she couldn't believe it.

"Mori?!"

"I'm wet and I'm annoyed by it. May I com in?" Mori asked calmly.

Beth blinked a few times, confused and shocked before she stepped to the side to allow the girl in. Her mouth was still hanging open in surprise and astonishment.

"Thank you." Mori said as calmly as before as she nodded to Beth and stepped into the room. "Is Carl here?"

Beth could only nod as she shut the door.

"Is he in the lab?" Mori seemed to be in a hurry and determined about something. Still, Beth was too shocked to noticed her tone of voice. There was no way _Mori_ was standing in Bethany's living room.

Again, the young Van Helsing could only nod.

"Thank you." Mori then quickly vanished down the hall toward Carl's lab. Beth stood there a moment, still shocked. Mori was back! Mori, her former partner that she had gone on that Transylvania assignment with six months ago, had returned?! The dark girl had left suddenly after making it perfectly clear that she wouldn't be coming back. Then she just returned out of the blue as if nothing was wrong or nothing had happened. It made no sense at all. Beth's thoughts were broken when she heard a scratching on the closed door. She opened it and a black, wolf-like dog followed Mori's earlier path. Beth just shut the door again and collapsed in a chair.

"What the hell is going on?" Beth asked herself quietly, shock still evident on her face.

"Who was at the door?"

Beth jumped when her father spoke. She hadn't even noticed that he had come back in the room. She looked up at him, rather confused.

"Mori, and a black dog." Beth answered as she stood and shook her head. "I'm going to bed. Night, dad."

Beth walked passed him to her room. Van Helsing watched her go and shrugged. She had probably been dreaming. Without another thought, Van Helsing returned to his room and went back to sleep.

- - -

Beth woke up the next morning feeling revived, her dream showing itself as only that, a dream. But it had seemed so real…the girl shook her head to clear those thoughts out of her head. She got dressed for the day in her room. She put on a crimson shirt with her black corset over it and her black pants and black boots. She tied her hair back and threw her coat over her arm before she went to her father's room. On the door was a note.

_Dear Midget,_

_I had an assignment and left early this morning. I'll be back in three or four days._

_Love,_

_Gabe_

Beth smiled and went across the hall to Carl's lab and knocked on the door.

"Carl?" Beth asked as she tried the handle. It was unlocked, so she opened the door. Carl was hunched over something and he looked up when the door opened. Standing next to him, was Mori. Beth saw her and froze. She hadn't been dreaming after all. Mori had really come back. The black dog was even sitting at the end of the table and was now growling threateningly at Beth. Why had she come back? Why did she even leave? The young huntress shook her head. She knew she would maybe never get the answers to those questions, knowing the way Mori was.

"I'll…"Mori started, but Beth cut her off. After six months, she still knew what Mori was going to say.

"No, this will only take a moment." Beth turned to Carl. "Dad's out on an assignment and I have to go give training lessons. I'm eating lunch with your nephew, so don't expect me back till about three. Bye, Carl. Oh, and don't blow anything up. Bye Mori and…Mori's dog."

"Logan." Mori corrected her.

"Oh. Bye Logan." Bethany said and quickly turned to leave, longing to get out of this awkward situation.

"Who are you training?" Mori asked even though Beth was letting the door slide closed already.

"A kid named Keeran." Beth replied and then was gone, the door closed. Mori sighed angrily and returned to her work. Carl watched her from the corner of his eye.

"She missed you, you know." Carl told her. Mori just glared at him, not moving her head but the force of her gaze was still the same. Carl shook his head before he lowered it to concentrate on his work. Still, this didn't stop him from talking.

"You worried about her?"

"Just who she's training." Mori grumbled as she returned her eyes to her own work.

"Mori, for five months, I've known he's been on the list and I've been watching him. He hasn't done anything." Carl pointed out.

"For five months, Carl, I've been watching him and Bethany and I don't like the interest he has taken in her. The only reason I showed myself is to keep a better eye on her. He asked her out, for Pete's sake. I'd say that's much more than a business interest." Mori defended herself.

"Have you seen Will?" Carl asked, desperate for a change of subject.

"I have." Mori replied, letting Carl change the subject before she got herself worked up over perhaps nothing. "It's hard to believe that he's related to you."

Carl just gave her a look and a playful smirk appeared in Mori's eyes. She loved doing that to him. It was so easy to irritate the little friar…and scare him too. (But that was another story entirely.)

Lunch time rolled around and Beth met Will in one of the Order's many dinning rooms. She was quiet and didn't each much. She was too busy thinking about Mori. Why was she back? Was something wrong? If so, what? Did it involve her father? Did it involve Beth herself? Was Mori in trouble? What was going on?...And where did that dog come from?!

"Angel? Beth?" Will asked her.

"Hum?" Beth replied as her head jerked up to him as if she had just come out of a trance.

"Are you alright? You're quiet."

"I told you about Mori, remember?" Beth asked him as she placed her elbows on the table and ran her fingers through her hair and she held her head there when she was finished, her hands on the back of her head.

"Yes." Will answered. "But you told me she left."

"She's back." Beth said raising her head up and letting her fists fall to the table. She turned to Will and he looked right back at her, his expression confused. "She showed up last night in the rain. I…I don't think…ah, heck! I'm too confused to think!"

"Just 'showed up'?" Will asked, apparently still perplexed. "Why?"

"I don't know!" Beth replied. "And it's driving me crazy!"

"Have you talked to your dad about it?" Will suggested to her. He hated to see Bethany distressed over something like this and was hoping to help her.

"He's out on an assignment. He doesn't know yet." Beth answered and then sighed heavily. She wasn't surprised that he mentioned her father. Besides Mori, Jen, Anna and anyone else who was in Transylvania six months ago, Will was the only person she had told that Van Helsing was her father and not her mentor. Both she and her father had enemies that would love to know that their enemy had such a weakness. It was just safer if they kept up the image of being genetically unattached. "I just don't know how to handle this right now, Will."

"Maybe you need something to take your mind off it." Will suggested and placed his hand over hers on the table. He smiled at her and she returned it, only her smile was weaker. She didn't feel much like smiling at the moment. "How about we go somewhere?"

"What do you have in mind?" the girl asked him.

Will shrugged slightly before looking back at her. "Anywhere. Away from here."

Beth's smile grew a little wider. She nodded slowly only once. "I'd like that."

"Let's go then." Will said as he stood up, gently pulling Beth to do the same, never letting go of her hand while doing so. He smiled widely at her, flashing is signature charming Will smile.

"Where?" Beth asked again.

"To the ends of the earth and back!" Will said as if he was an eager explorer. Beth gave him a look and Will returned to being a chemist again and was a little sheepish. "Well, more like to the city limits of Rome."

Beth smiled at her friend's silliness, almost laughing. "Alright."

The two then raced out of the Vatican into the city for the afternoon. Beth enjoyed it quite a lot. It really did take her mind off of everything; Mori's sudden return and it's reasons, the Order, Keeran's unwanted attention that he paid her…everything. For one blissful afternoon, she was a normal teenager running around with her friend. It wasn't something that happened often, and when it did, it was an experience that she completely enjoyed. When they got back to the Order, Will took her by her quarters and left her there to go to his lab. He was so much like his uncle that way. Always experimenting and always blowing something up in the process.

When Beth opened the door, she found the living room empty. She wasn't really surprised. The only thing that did surprise her was that Logan was laying on the couch with his head resting on his paws. He raised his head when Beth came in and began to growl a little.

"Easy boy." Beth told him holding up her hands. "I live here, remember?"

Logan stopped growling, but kept his head in the air. He jumped off the couch and pawed toward Beth. The girl watched the dog's eyes. They never left her. Logan then began circling her, as if she was being inspected. She was kind of nervous about this dog. He was Mori's after all and looked like he could cause some serious damage if he wanted too. Finally, he looked at her a moment before he nudged her hand. Beth reached down and scratched him behind the ear. The dog then promptly licked her fingers since he got the reaction he had hoped for. Beth smiled a little.

"I knew I liked you." Beth told him. Logan then jumped back on the couch and began to take a nap, his attention quota having been met for the next hour or so.

Beth then went to her room and shut the door. She jumped when she turned around because Mori was sitting in a chair in the corner of the room. She was motionless and dressed in her usual all black attire with her icy eyes on the young Van Helsing. She looked more ominous than Beth remembered her and was half hidden by shadow. Maybe it was the light. Bethany quickly turned her eyes away from her.

"Bethany, we have to talk." Mori said. Beth didn't say anything. She just pulled a book out from under her bed. She sat on the far end of her bed and began to read her book. She still wasn't sure what to make of this entire situation, so she hoped to avoid it. Maybe this was the best way. Then again, maybe all it would do would make Mori annoyed with her.

"Bethany!" Mori said firmly, hoping to get her to pay attention. Okay, so it annoyed her. Beth closed her eyes tightly when she spoke and left them closed. Mori continued, determined to make her point. " I know it's been a while, but we have to talk. You might as well listen to me when I'm saying it, because I'm only going to say it once. You need to be careful."

Through this entire thing, Beth hadn't moved. She was too confused. Also, when Mori had left, Beth had been inconsolable. She had been hurt. With Mori's return came all those old memories that Beth had been suppressing to ease the pain. She had thought that maybe she had gotten over Mori's loss. Then she came back. Bethany wasn't really sure what to make of it. What if she left again? Why did she even go in the first place? She had friends! Why did she leave them? What if she changed? There were just too many questions for the girl. Mori had noticed that Bethany hadn't moved since she has a habit of noticing everything. It was a special gift of hers.

"Bethany, did you hear me?"

Beth opened her eyes, but kept them locked on the open book in her lap, almost afraid to look at her.

"Yes." Beth replied quietly.

"Good." Mori answered, a little quiet as well. She didn't want to be this way, least of all to Bethany. She had always been so kind to her. Still, she was probably going to leave again and it'd be best if they could both be spared the pain a second time. However, that didn't keep Mori from feeling badly about it. She still liked her after all. After everything she and Beth had gone through, she could at least be nice. However, being nice would most likely bring in friendship. Mori just couldn't risk it. The two sat there in silence for a moment, each waiting for the other to say something. Neither of them did. Beth heard a knock on the front door that cut through the terrible silence. Beth stood up and went to her door after she had set her book on her bed. Secretly, she was glad to get out of that situation. She opened the door to her room and began walking toward the front one where the knock had come from.

"I'll get it, Carl." Beth said loudly when she passed his door. Knowing him, he didn't even hear someone knock. Mori didn't follow Beth for quite some time in order to give the girl some space. She knew that Bethany needed it. Obviously, she really didn't know what to think of this situation. Honestly, neither did Mori. Logan perked up his ears when he saw the young Van Helsing enter the room. When Beth opened the door, Keeran was in the doorway. Logan jumped off the couch and began growling at the boy.

"Hello Bethany." Keeran greeted her.

"What are you doing here?" Beth asked him, sounding very confused. That was because she was. Logan advanced on the dark boy, still growling from deep in his throat. He had his ears laid flat against his head and was baring his razor sharp teeth as if he was being threatened.

"When did the dog get here?" Keeran asked backing up a step after seeing the beast at the girl's side.

"Last night. Keeran, meet Logan." She answered. "What do you want?"

"It really isn't anything too important." Keeran said. Beth could only guess that he was still looking at Logan since his face was covered. Logan advanced on him again even though he wasn't very far from him anymore. "I'll come back later."

With that, the boy vanished, which Bethany was glad for. Logan didn't stop growling till Beth shut the door. The girl turned back around to find Mori standing only a foot behind her. Beth jumped slightly in surprise. She had forgotten how quiet Mori could be.

"I almost forgot that you did that." Beth told her.

"Do what?"

"Never mind." Beth answered quietly and looked down at Logan, who was still at her side. She bent down and scratched him behind the ears as a thank you for getting rid of Keeran. The dog then licked her fingers and wagged his tail happily.

"I see you've befriended my dog." Mori told her calmly.

"He seems to think I'm alright and he doesn't like Keeran, so we have a lot in common, actually."

"Keeran? The boy you are training?" Mori asked, suddenly seeming interested.

Beth only nodded in response. "He was just here."

"What did he want?" Mori asked, her eyes focused on the girl in front of her.

"He got scared off by Logan and said that he'd tell me later." Beth replied and then stood up. She didn't like Mori towering over her like she currently. "I'm going to go get some dinner. Would you mind if I take Logan?"

Mori thought it was an odd request. Beth hadn't known Logan long and now she wanted to take him to dinner with her? It just didn't seem right. The dark girl looked the young Van Helsing over. By the expression on her face and the aurora around her, it was clear that she was nervous about something. She might have even been scared. Well, that explained why she wanted to take Logan…security.

"Not at all." Mori replied and turned to go to Carl's lab. "Just make sure that he doesn't come back fat."

Beth smiled slightly and opened the door. Logan slipped out before her. On her way out, the girl closed the door again.

Mori entered Carl's lab and shut the door behind her. The little friar glanced up from his work, which had something to do with about twenty or thirty test tubes filled with all kinds of chemicals. They were all lined up at the edge of the table, some of them with small flames under them.

"You seem like you're in a mood, if I'm not mistaken." Carl mentioned as he straightened to look at her better. He wouldn't have to glanced through the spaces in-between the test tubes this way.

"Bethany is confusing me." Mori answered. She paused and then looked back at Carl, her icy eyes hard. "What did you find?"

"You're really in a mood if you're changing the subject." Carl stated and raised his eyebrows at her.

This earned the friar a look of disapproval from the half vampire. Carl saw it and instantly became quiet. He and Mori had developed the type of working relationship where Mori thinks the experiments through while Carl does the dangerous, explosive part and most importantly, he doesn't talk.

"What did you find?" Mori asked again, leaving no room for him to avoid the new subject.

"Not much, really." Carl answered sound dissatisfied as he watched Mori come around the table to stand next to him. That way, she could see the book that laid open on the work space easier. She didn't want to look through the spaces between the test tubes either. The friar turned to her before he spoke.

"She missed you terribly, you know."

"We aren't talking about that Carl." Mori told him, her eyes never leaving the book in front of her. "Besides, you told me already."

"Yes, well, just so you know." The friar answered. Silence hung in the air for a moment. Mori began rubbing the bridge of her nose, meaning that she was thinking and thinking deeply.

"Carl, have you met Keeran?" the girl asked him calmly.

"Not face to face, but Will has." He answered. "He isn't very fond of him. He thinks he's another Mikal. The girls certainly do like him, though. Will says he knows it too, which is probably why he will end up being another Mikal."

"Another Mikal?" Mori asked distantly. One Mikal was bad, but two was not good at all, especially if one of them was eyeing Bethany. "Is young William a fairly good judge of character?"

"Usually." Carl replied. "Then again, he knows Keeran likes Beth and is very protective of her. His opinion could be influenced by that too."

"Really?" Mori asked, sounding like she had just put two and two together. Was Will protective of Beth for more than one reason? Or was it just for one very good reason? Or did he have any reason at all? Only time would tell.


	3. Interesting Conversations

**CHAPTER TWO**

Two days passed and in all forty-eight hours of that time, Beth was either confused or uncomfortable. She was confused about Mori, who was keeping her distance from her. Was she mad at her? Did Beth do something wrong? Why had she even come back? Was Mori in danger? The girl just didn't know and since Mori wasn't speaking to her, all her questions were going unanswered. Also, Keeran was making her uncomfortable during their training sessions. He was still trying to get Bethany to go with him to dinner. Each time, she politely refused him and quickly left to go find Will.

Will was currently her best and only comfort. With Keeran at training and Mori staying in their quarters, Beth's only safe haven from all the chaos was with him. Logan also, had begun going almost everywhere with her. Beth just thought it was because she fed him scraps from the table and Logan felt the need to protect his food provider. Still, he was a small comfort to have around.

That night, Beth and Will were eating dinner in one of the many dinning areas in the Order. Logan was sitting at Beth's side, waiting patiently for her to feed him something. He had his head resting on his paws with his ears up, intently listening to the conversation that was going on above him.

"Are you going to go to the ball, Angel?" Will asked Bethany, using his pet name for her. The girl just shrugged. Every year, the Order held a ball for their agents to thank them for all their work and to honor the ones who have not come back. She had been maybe once. Bethany really was big on balls. They were usually too much work.

"I don't think so. I don't do so well in heels." Beth replied. "You?"

"I thought I'd go." Will answered with a small smile. "I know Jinette will be disappointed that you're not going since he wants you to find a…um…" Will had to swallow in order to wet his suddenly dry mouth. " a husband."

Beth just rolled her eyes. Cardinal Jinette had been on her for months to find a husband, or at least a boyfriend. The girl recalled the conversation she had with him last week…

Beth entered Jinette's office to find him behind his desk, as usual. He smiled at Bethany when she entered, setting the papers he was looking at aside. The girl returned the smile when she shut the door.

"Beth, I wanted to talk to you about something." He said.

"If you didn't, would you have sent for me?" Beth said teasingly with a soft smile. The Cardinal smiled softly and shook his head.

"No, I suppose not." He answered. He then looked at the girl before him, suddenly remembering what she was like when she was eight. She had still been stubborn and determined, but somehow managed to be sweet and considerate in the process. She had obviously grown up quite a bit.

"Bethany, you know I often think of you as my own daughter." He began. "And with your family gone, there will be no one to look after you. I'm old, and I know it. I'm not going to be around forever and I want to make sure you are taken care of in the future."

"I know you want me to get married." Beth cut him off, nodding. "I understand your reasoning even, but marriage is just something I'm not interested in at the moment. Maybe when I get older, but not now."

"Beth, I want to make sure that you'll be alright after I'm gone, and if your father were still alive, I know things would be different." Jinette answered.

_If only he knew that my father is still alive and who he was._ Beth thought to herself.

"Cardinal, with all due respect, I'm not getting married unless _I_ want too and not even you could change my mind." Beth answered with all the politeness she could muster. She moved toward the door and opened it. "I'll keep you informed."

Bethany then slipped out of the office, ending the conversation.

The girl then brought herself back to the present. Will was just looking at her in an odd way.

"Why did you want to know if I was going?" Beth asked him. Will just leaned back in his chair and shrugged slightly.

"I don't know. I was really hoping someone other than Samantha would be there to dance with me."

Beth laughed a little. Samantha was the girl who was obsessed with Will and refused to leave him alone. The only time she did leave him alone was when he was actually not by himself. Therefore, Bethany was a good defense against her. If she wasn't there, Samantha would never stop talking or flirting with him. It was getting so annoying that it was beginning to annoy Beth! She just wished that the girl would leave Will alone.

"Then I guess you'll just have to be on your own, Will." Beth answered. "If I were you, I'd wear a suit of armor. That way she couldn't hurt me."

"I'll consider it." Will replied with a small smile. "Then again, the suits of armor are conspiring with the lamps in the third hall to take over the ball room that night."

Beth laughed at Will's silly conspiracy theory. He did those a lot. The young huntress enjoyed them quite a bit because they always made her laugh. She didn't know it, but that was one of the main reasons Will made them up. The other reasons were to be silly and to get his mind off things.

"Only you, Will. Only you." Beth said. Will smiled and raised his water glass to her.

"I'll drink to that." He said and gulped the water down.

Keeran watched Bethany and William from his usual table in the corner of the room. It almost made him sick to see Beth laughing with him. Keeran knew that in order to get to Beth, he would have to go through Will first. However, that had proved far more difficult than he expected it to be. Also, Bethany was far more complex than he ever thought she could be. She was spirited, strong, determined and beautiful. In Keeran's opinion, a deadly combination.

She had managed to captivate him the instant he first met her almost six months ago when he first came here. From then on, he was determined to have her beside him. Somehow, Bethany had managed to resist his charm, which held a large majority of the young female population around the Order mesmerized. How the one he actually wanted had been able to avoid his spell, he truly didn't know. But there was one thing Keeran did know. He always got what he wanted. And he did mean 'always'.

Keeran glanced over at the man sitting next to him, who he had almost befriended. Then again, Keeran didn't have friends. He only did as long as he had use for them. The man was Mikal.

"Mikal, I know women are fond of you." Keeran began. "How do you usually manage to sway them?"

Mikal smiled slightly and leaned back in his chair. "Well, usually the charm gets them. Chivalry, pretending to be a hopeless romantic, or getting them something. Things like that usually make them melt. If you want to go with a quick and easy approach, you could get them drunk. If that doesn't work, well, most of them will do anything if you have enough money."

"And if that doesn't work?" Keeran urged.

Mikal just shrugged. "Have you tried blackmail?"

"Not on this one." Keeran said with a slight shake of his head. "She's to stubborn to do it for money and she doesn't drink. I've tried being charming, but she still doesn't want anything to do with me."

"Sounds like she's hard to get." Mikal said and took a drink from his glass, which was only half filled with ale at the moment. "May I ask which girl you have your eye on?"

"Bethany Monroe."

Mikal nodded knowingly. He knew Bethany Monroe. She wasn't very fond of him at all. She was young and pretty, but she had misplaced her loyalty, much like another feisty female that Mikal had had his eye on. However, he hadn't seen the lovely agent Mori Trice in months. He just assumed that she had died. Shame too. She was so pleasing to look at.

"I thought she was with the Larc boy." Mikal stated.

"No." Keeran answered. "They're just friends."

"Could've fooled me." Mikal said, remembering the first time he had met the two…

Bethany Monroe had been eight and had just joined the Order. She hadn't even been their and entire week yet when she had finally annoyed Mikal, then twenty four, to no end. Therefore, he took a point in pointing out that no female agents had survived the Order.

"Women never make good agents." Mikal told her. "They always end up getting distracted by breaking a nail or something and then get killed."

"They do not." Beth replied.

"Oh, yes they do." Mikal said. "Then some of them just go crazy after their first mission due to the terrible, gory scenes that they saw. They aren't prepared it."

"Will you leave her alone and shut up, Mikal!" William Larc, then only nine years old, told him out of no where.

"Why don't you, pig." Mikal said and shoved the young boy's shoulder. Will lost his balance and fell into a large puddle of mud. Will, suddenly enraged, got up and began trying to hit Mikal. Mikal just put his hand on the boy's head and held him an arm's length away from his body. Will just kept trying to get to him. Mikal just laughed at this.

"Look! He thinks he can actually do something!" Mikal said as he still laughed.

"Stop it!" Beth told him. "Both of you, stop!"

"Oh, but he's doing so well." Mikal mocked. "Since you are a lady, I'll humor you."

Mikal then shoved Will back into the mud puddle and laughed. Beth quickly went to the boy's side and pulled out a handkerchief from her pocket. She handed it to him as she knelt down next to Will in the mud. Mikal then turned to leave, but was quickly hit with a mud ball in the back of the head. Angry, he turned back around to see Beth glaring at him.

"You little…"

"Is there a problem here?" came a calm voice.

Mikal turned back around to see Cardinal Jinette. Mikal just smiled charmingly.

"No sir. We were just playing a little game and I was just about to go clean up."

"Then go do so, Mikal. I'll help the children." The Cardinal said eyeing him, clearly doubting his story. Mikal nodded and then left.

Beth looked back at the boy. "You didn't have to do that."

"He had no right to say those things to you." Will replied as he handed her back the white cloth. It was covered in mud, which he had wiped from his face.

"Keep it." Beth told him. "I'm Bethany."

"William."…

Mikal looked back at Keeran, brought out of his memory. "They were pretty fond of each other when they were younger as well. I thought for sure that they were a couple."

"Why is that?" Keeran asked him.

"Bethany is Jinette's pet. He wants her to get married soon. I thought he arranged a marriage between her and the Larc boy, but apparently I was wrong." Mikal shrugged.

"Jinette is looking for someone to marry Bethany?" Keeran asked. Things were quickly beginning to fall into place. "Mikal, since you're a senior agent, could you possibly…"

"Sure thing. I'll put in a good word for you."

"Thank you."

Beth returned to her quarters alone that night, with the exception of Logan. His stomach was certainly full this evening since Bethany had lost her appetite. She had been doing that a lot lately. Mostly in the past two days. Maybe it was because she was so confused that things weren't making sense anymore.

Once inside, Logan jumped up on the couch and curled up by the lit fire. Mori was sitting in the armchair next to it, staring into the flames. She looked up at Beth when she opened the door. The young huntress smiled weakly at the half vampire when she entered the room.

"Hi Mori."

Mori just nodded to her and returned her eyes to the flames. Beth sighed. She moved over to sit on the end of the couch that Logan wasn't covering, which was the end closest to Mori's arm chair. The girl sat there for a moment, studying Mori and absentmindedly scratching Logan's ears. Logan didn't mind that at all.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Beth asked her. Mori moved her eyes to look at the young huntress, but didn't move her head.

"You look drawn." Mori said calmly.

"I haven't been sleeping much." Beth replied quietly.

Mori just nodded to show her understanding and then moved her eyes back to the fire. Knowing that she wouldn't get anymore out of Mori, Beth stood up to leave.

"Good night Mori." Beth said and then petted Logan, who wagged his tail. "Good night Logan."

Beth then went to her room and changed into a dark green night gown before crawling underneath her covers. After a few moments, she was asleep.

- - -

Mori heard Bethany tossing and turning violently in her sleep late at night. Yet another nightmare. The half vampire wasn't really surprised, that was till she heard her scream. Up in a flash, Mori went into Beth's room and was almost shocked by what she saw. Things of all kinds were flying or floating around the room. Bethany was still in her bed, screaming from the fear in her dreams and flailing about. Being extra careful not to hit anything, Mori made her way through the chaos to Beth's side. This didn't make sense. The young Van Helsing was supposed to have control of her powers by now. This shouldn't be happening.

"Bethany! Bethany!" Mori said shaking her.

Beth sat upright and gasped when she woke up, her hand flying out on reflex. Instantly, all the things in the room froze and were suspended in mid air. Well, almost all of the things. Three books fell to the floor and a chair clattered to the floor and tipped over. Slowly, Bethany lowered the objects to their original position.

Mori turned to leave.

"Wait!" Beth said and Mori froze in her tracks. Still, she didn't turn around to look at her. "Stay and talk? For old times sake?"

Mori sighed and shook her head. She knew she'd regret this later. Still, Mori turned around and set the chair that had fallen upright. She sat in it with her legs crossed. Her icy eyes looked at Beth expectantly.

"So talk, Sunshine." Mori said.

Beth was actually pretty surprised. She hadn't expected Mori to stay just because she had asked her too. The girl did know, however, that Mori wouldn't do anything unless she wanted too. The young huntress brushed a piece of hair behind her ear and swallowed, wondering if she should ask what she wanted to or not.

"Why did you come back?" Beth finally asked the dark girl sitting next to her. Even though she had already said it, it didn't mean that she still thought that it was such a good idea to ask. Mori sat in her chair, thinking of how to respond. Beth held her breath.

"Something came to my attention that demanded my being here." The dark girl finally answered. Beth sighed. She never could get a straight answer out of Mori unless she felt like Beth needed to know it. At least that hadn't changed.

"Is that it?" the young huntress inquired. "Is that the only reason?"

Mori remained silent and rubbed the bridge of her nose. She was thinking again. Painful seconds ticked by with both girls silent. It was a heavy silence that pulled down on both of them, body and mind. Bethany wasn't sure what to say and neither did Mori. Of course, that wasn't the only reason Mori had come back. However, that wasn't the issue here. The real question was if she actually wanted Bethany to know that or not. Finally, after long pause, she spoke.

"No, Bethany. It's not the only reason."

Beth looked up at her, almost surprised. She really hadn't expect Mori to answer the question, let alone answer it truthfully.

"I know that you are probably avoiding me, but, since we're being honest with each other, I just think that you should know that I still consider you a friend, Mori."

Mori was in complete and utter shock. Bethany still considered her a friend? After everything that had happened? And even through all that, she still valued her friendship? It was hard to believe. Mori then realized that she wasn't the only on who had been missing someone's company.

"Bethany, I don't have friends." Mori told her. Beth just looked down at her lap. So that was it? After all their work together, this is how she intended to end it? Beth hated it and almost wanted to cry, but she would respect Mori's wishes. Since she was looking down, Beth didn't notice the small smile that had formed in Mori's eyes.

"I have acquaintances."

Beth looked up at her, a small smile on her face. How could she have forgotten? It was too dangerous to have friends, so the hunters only had acquaintances. Both she and Mori knew that it was almost a weakness and a danger to yourself if you admitted to having friends in this business. Still, that didn't mean that you didn't have them.

"You are still my acquaintance, Bethany."

With that simple sentence, both Beth and Mori felt a weight lift off their shoulders. Now that they had reached an understanding, Mori could finally ask her own questions.

"Are your nightmares so bad that it causes your things to fly around your room?"

"My powers are acting up." Beth replied quietly. Mori just nodded to show her understanding.

"Have you been using them?"

"Not as much." Beth answered. In all honesty, she hadn't been using them at all. About four months ago, Beth had used them and almost brought down the entire building that she was in. That would have killed her and everyone else inside it. She had finished her mission, but she was so nervous about loosing control of her powers again that a mental barrier had developed. With her mental block, it made controlling them even harder and harder till she just decided it was safer to not use them at all. She wasn't going to risk her life or anyone else's unless she absolutely had to. She didn't like the idea of putting innocents at risk. Personally, Beth believed that that was what separated her from the monsters she fought…and that line was blurry to begin with.

"That may be why." Mori said as if she was thinking aloud. "If you may recall, the last time you didn't use your powers, they found a way out in your sleep."

"Maybe." Beth answered. "I'm going to go back to sleep now…hopefully."

"Goodnight then, Bethany." Mori said quietly as she got up and left the room, closing the door behind her.


	4. Telling Dad

**CHAPTER THREE**

The next morning, Bethany felt a little more revived. She had slept rather deeply after her little power incident. Upon waking up, she instantly decided to get up and brush her hair. She then pulled it back with a black hair ribbon. She put on her usual black pants and boots along with a dark green, long-sleeved shirt. It had a low V-neck that was covered by her strapless, black corset. Bethany flung her coat on over her shoulders before she exited her room.

Beth stopped by Carl's lab to tell him that she was going to breakfast. Again, she door was open. The girl stepped in and saw that he and Mori were both hunched over a book.

"I'm going to breakfast. I'll be back in about half an hour. You want me to get you anything?" Beth asked the two.

"Just a bagel please." Carl said, his head still over the book.

"You want anything Mori?" the girl asked the half vampire.

"No thank you, Bethany. I'll talk to you when you get back." Mori answered.

"Alright. Bye." Beth said and then shut the door. Carl looked up at Mori with only his eyes. The dark girl next to the friar caught the look that he was giving her. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"What?"

"You and Beth." He replied. "You two seemed to be fine with each other. What happened? Did I miss something? Yesterday it seemed like there was a sheet of ice between the two of you."

Mori shook her head at Carl. "We _are_ fine with each other, Carl. You just are oblivious, that's all."

"Oh." Car said, a little surprise. He then shrugged. "Okay then."

Mori almost smiled.

- - -

Beth returned sometime later, a bagel in her hand. She gave it to Carl, who thanked her for it before she left. When she left, she went into the living room. She was surprised when the door opened. She looked up to see Van Helsing.

"Hey midget." He greeted her smiling.

"Dad!" Beth said excitedly before she remembered that Mori was in Carl's lab. She then became a little worried. "Oh, dad."

"What's wrong?" he asked, worried at her sudden composure change.

"Nothing is exactly 'wrong', but we have to talk…and not here." The girl replied.

Van Helsing set his bad down behind the couch.

"I'll change my clothes and we'll go." He said. The hunter then vanished into his room. Bethany took off her coat and let her hair fall down around her shoulders. How was he going to feel about Mori being back? She honestly could only guess. Mori and Van Helsing's relationship was definitely unpredictable. The girl really wasn't sure how the monster hunter would feel about the dark girl who suddenly left and then showed up again. She had already caused Beth enough distress and she knew that her father wasn't too happy about that fact.

Bethany heard a door open and looked up to see her dad. He was in his gray sweater, Black pants and his boots. It was his usual city attire. Since they were going out, they had to look like normal people instead of hunters. Otherwise, it might freak a few people out.

"Where do you want to go?" he asked her.

"Just away from here." Beth replied.

"Alright." He answered and opened the door for her. Beth stepped through and Van Helsing followed her, shutting the door behind himself.

The two exited the Vatican and began strolling around Rome. The father and daughter went around a small market place and took in the sights, sounds and the occasional smells. Van Helsing told Bethany about his last assignment. It was nothing more than a simple gargoyle terrorizing a small village not too far from Rome. It was rather easy, but the people in the village were definitely characters. There was a young boy who kept asking him questions. He was maybe six years old and Van Helsing thought that he was the world's most curious child. Beth ended up laughing at this. The thought of her father talking to a six year old was just funny in itself. After walking around for a while, they found a small, secluded square with a small church in the middle of it. Van Helsing sat on the stairs leading up to the doors of it. He looked at Bethany and patted the seat next to him. Smiling, the girl sat down next to her father.

"So, what is it that you need to tell me?" he asked her. Beth's mood darkened a little with worry. Her father noticed this and his mood fell as well.

"Bethany, are you alright?"

"Yes, yes I'm fine." Beth answered and then was silent. She was choosing how to best say this. "Do you remember on the night you left when I said that Mori was back?"

The monster hunter nodded. "I know you were dreaming."

"I wasn't." Beth told him. "She _really_ did come back. She usually is working with Carl in his lab on something."

"Wait a moment." Van Helsing cut her off. "_Mori Trice_? As in dark girl, good shot, deadly and knows about vampires, Mori Trice?"

The girl nodded. "The one and only."

The hunter shook his head. He couldn't believe it. She left! She just left them without a good explanation. She had no reason to come back.

"Why?" he asked her.

"She really hasn't said." Beth answered. "She only said that she needed to watch over something."

"Beth, it's Mori!"

"I know! Which is why I'm giving her some space. You know how secretive she is." Beth defended her friend. "Besides, we're still…um… acquaintances, as we like to put it."

Van Helsing raised his eyebrows in surprise at this news. Then again, this _was_ Beth and Mori. After everything they had been through, it would only make sense that they were loyal to each other.

"Alright." Van Helsing sighed in defeat. "So, how is she?"

"You aren't mad?" Beth asked him.

"I really can't be, and since you two are still 'acquaintances' I know there is nothing I can do about it."

"If we weren't, would you still feel the same way?"

They sat there in silence for a while as Van Helsing thought about how he would answer that question.

"I think so." He finally said. "I hate to admit it, but I've grown kind of fond of her."

Beth laugh a little. "Thanks Gabe."

"You're welcome midget."

- - -

Keeran had followed them and heard their conversation end. A small smile formed on his lips. Well, the legendary Agent Mori Trice had returned to the Order after six long months of being missing in action. This was definitely unexpected. Also, this would make swaying Bethany even harder. He would have to be even more careful than before. She was well protected with Van Helsing as her mentor, the deadly Mori Trice as her ally and William Larc as her friend, who always had some type of explosive on him.

With what he had just heard and the information he already had, he realized that time was short and that something had to be done to get his love away from the Order. The sooner, the better.

- - -

Bethany and Van Helsing returned to the Order after getting something to eat. It was late and the sun had long been down.

"I'm going to see Will." Beth told her father. "He'll probably want to know where I've been."

"Don't be too long." He replied.

"I won't." the girl answered and then vanished around the corner. As Bethany walked down the hall, she quickly became lost in thought. Mostly, it was about why Mori had come back. What kind of trouble was she in? Was she even in trouble? The girl really didn't know. Since she was thinking, Bethany wasn't paying attention to where she was going and accidentally ran into someone. Their shoulders hit together and Beth was brought out of her thoughts. She was about to apologize when she realized that she had run into Keeran.

"You seem distracted, Bethany." he said. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes Keeran." Beth answered. "I…um…was jut going to see Will."

"Might I accompany you? We don't want you running into anything else, now do we?"

"You don't have to. You probably have something else that demands your attention."

"I'm never too busy for you, Beth." Keeran answered and took her arm. She let him, feeling very uncomfortable as they walked down the halls arm and arm.

"Is there something you and Will have to discuss, my dear?"

"What?" Beth's head jerked toward him when he had said 'my dear'. It wasn't really what he said, but how he had said it. Beth hadn't heard it said like that since…well, six months ago.

"I'm sorry? Did I miss something?" Keeran asked, surprised at her sudden reaction.

"I…did you? You know what? Never mind." Beth replied. She really didn't feel like explaining to Keeran why she was suddenly a little jumpy. Against her will, those painful memories came rushing back to her. With an effort, she managed to suppress them again.

"Are you quite sure that you are alright, Beth? Your hands are shaking." Keeran observed.

Beth quickly pulled her hands to herself. She then looked down at her hands, remembering what they had done and what she was capable of. Both were frightening.

"Bad memories." The girl answered. "Hunting will do that to you."

Keeran placed his gloved hand over hers, but Bethany pulled away. She looked up at the dark boy.

"I can make it from here. Thank you, Keeran." She told him and quickly moved away from him down the hall. Her hands were still shaking but she tried to stop them. When she reached the lab, Will looked up at her when she entered. He was about to ask her something when he saw the look on her face. She looked scared. He immediately became worried.

"Angel, are you alright?"

"Ye…n…I'm not really sure, Will." Beth answered truthfully. "I'm confused and…almost scared."

"Scared?!" Will asked shocked. He had never heard those words come out of her mouth before. Bethany was one of the bravest people he knew. What could scare her? "About what?"

"I…well…Keeran, for one."

"What did he do to you!" Will demanded fiercely, suddenly very protective of her.

"Nothing." Bethany answered. "He's just been hanging around and he said something that reminded me of…my Transylvania mission."

Will's look softened and he moved toward her. The boy placed an arm around her shoulders and he guided her over to the couch that was in the room. Beth sat down at one end with Will at the other.

"I know that mission still gives you nightmares, you and your dad." Will said. Beth just nodded. Will was the only person she had told that Van Helsing was her father. She knew that she could trust him with that. Other than Will, Beth and Van Helsing agreed to keep it a secret. Both of them had enemies that would love to get some leverage on them. Therefore, it was better if the two remained seemingly unattached.

"With good reason too." Beth answered. "It was Dracula for Pete's sake. It wasn't like it was a tromp through the daisies."

"What did he do that reminded you of it?" Will asked her.

"He just said something about vampires, is all. I know that it was probably unintentional, but what's said is said." Beth sighed and then remembered her original purpose. "I just came by to tell you that I was with dad all afternoon, since I knew that you'd be wondering."

Will nodded. "I was. C'mon, I'll walk you back."

Beth and Will walked back to Beth quarters, both of them just talking. Will was doing everything he could do to convince Beth that it would all be alright. He even came up with a conspiracy theory to make her laugh.

"Look on the brighter side, Beth. At least Keeran isn't some spy who works for vampires or something."

Beth just laughed and shook her head. Only Will…

When Beth got back, she told her dad that she was back. She then grabbed a book and began reading on the couch to calm herself. Logan had jumped up and was resting his head in her lap. Beth was absent-mindedly scratching his ears. Logan was very happy about this and really couldn't complain.

"I think my dog is fond of you, Bethany."

Beth looked up to see Mori leaning against the back of the couch, a small smile in her eyes. The girl smiled at the dark girl next to her.

"I think it's because I feed him off the table." Beth said.

"Perhaps." Mori said, a small smile creeping over her features. "Then again, Logan is an excellent judge of character."

Logan perked his ears up, listening to them. Beth had moved on to petting his head gently instead of scratching his ears. Again, he couldn't complain.

"Where did you find him?" Beth asked Mori.

"Logan was a month old when I found him. It was about a week or two after I had left. He was all alone in an alley in London. Logan was squeaking for help and, well…he was just too cute to leave there. He would even fit in my coat pocket for easy travel."

"He's not even a year old yet and he's this big?!" Beth asked, slightly surprised at this news.

"I think he's part horse." Mori answered.

Beth laughed a little and scratched Logan's ears again. "Then he's an awfully cute and fuzzy horse."

Mori sighed and petted Logan once or twice. "He's my baby."

"I never thought I'd ever hear you say that, Mori."

"What can I say? I have a soft spot for anything cute, fuzzy and can be life-threateningly dangerous like Logan." Replied the dark girl.

"Why the name Logan?" Beth asked her.

"It's common, but no one ever uses it." She paused for a moment, thinking. "Like the name Roe."

Beth smiled and then rose to her feet, which upset Logan greatly.

"I'm going to bed. I'll see you in the morning." Beth told her. Mori nodded.

"Night Sunshine."

- - -

Mikal walked into Cardinal Jinette's office, a small smirk on his face. Jinette looked surprised to see him in his office, let alone in a good mood.

"Mikal, to what do I owe this surprise?" Jinette asked him.

"I hear that you are looking for a husband for Bethany Monroe."

"I am, but I have yet to find someone she finds suitable." The cardinal answered.

"Have you considered anyone she spends time with, say, Keeran Reye, perhaps?"

"Keeran?"

"Yes," Mikal answered still smiling. "Keeran."


	5. The Ball

**CHAPTER FOUR**

A day or two passed by and Logan had grown used to being fed by Bethany. She had grown to enjoy his company quite a bit. She was sitting on the couch, reading and petting Logan. She had been sitting there for quite a while, content and enjoying herself for once. She was surprised when the clock above the small fireplace chimed the time. She had to go to a training session with Keeran. Beth got up, much to Logan's dislike. He jumped off the couch and went to go find Mori. Maybe she would pet him.

"Sorry Logan." Beth told him and opened the door. She was about to walk out when she realized that Keeran was standing in the doorway. Beth tried to stop, but tripped and fell forward. Keeran caught her by the upper part of her arms when she hit his chest. He had to move a foot back ever so slightly to brace himself in order to keep from falling.

"That was quite a surprise." He said looking down at the girl.

"Bethany?"

The girl quickly shook off Keeran to stand on her own. She turned around to see Mori standing in the living room with a 'care to explain?' look on her face. Logan, naturally, was at her side. He had his head tilted to the side, as if asking the same thing his master was thinking.

"Hi, Mori."

Mori continued to give her the look. Beth gave her a look that said 'I'll explain later.'

"Um, this is Keeran. Keeran, meet my partner, Mori Trice." Beth introduced them, doing her best to hide the awkwardness she was feeling right now.

"A pleasure." Keeran said quietly. "I've heard a lot about you, Miss Trice. I assume the stories of your reputation are accurate?"

"Not exactly." Mori answered him with cold eyes. "They usually aren't anywhere close to what I can actually do."

"I shouldn't be surprised at that."

Mori gave him an ice cold glare. "No, you shouldn't."

The air was thick with tension. Even Beth felt it. Was there something going on between these two? Have they met already? Did Mori just decide that she didn't like him for some reason? What ever it was, it made the air around them thick and heavy.

"Well, Miss Trice, if you will excuse Beth and I, we have a training session to get on with."

"Allow me to come with you. I've been meaning to see how good a teacher Bethany is." Mori said quickly.

Beth only glanced at Mori and mind-linked her.

_Thank you!_

_It's not like I'd leave you to the vultures, Bethany. By the way, what was going on when I walked in?_ the girl heard Mori's voice in her head. Beth barely managed to hide that she was blushing from embarrassment.

_I tripped._

Mori just shook her head at the girl and they left.

Mori had to admit that Beth had gotten better since she last saw her. She was faster. Then again, Keeran was pretty fast as well, so Beth had to be faster to beat him. The entire time, Mori sat in the corner just watching them. When it was finished, Beth told Keeran to go do something else (as politely as she could, of course). When Bethany was about to leave, Mori stopped her with a look.

"What, Mori?" the young Van Helsing asked her.

"How rusty are you?"

"Not too rusty. Why?"

Mori, in response, removed her cloak. A small smile formed in her eyes and on her lips.

"_Your_ training has just started."

Beth smiled a little as she shrugged off her coat and laid it in the corner.

"Just go easy on me." Beth told her.

"Oh, don't worry. I won't."

"And that's all I expected."

Beth and Mori really pushed themselves in the same way they did six months ago. The only difference was that they weren't using their powers. They couldn't risk someone seeing them. What they didn't know was that someone actually _was_ watching them. From the shadows outside the open door, Keeran was taking careful note of Beth's fighting style. He knew that it was something that would surely come in handy sometime soon, sometime _very_ soon.

- - -

Beth went to go visit Will afterward. He wanted some advice from her about what he should wear to the ball that night. He was going through about five or six vests when Bethany arrived. The girl just laughed and began helping him.

"Will, the ball is in two hours." She told him and looked over the vests again. "Which jacket are you wearing?"

"The black one." Will answered as he pointed to the black velvet coat that fell just below his hip. It was resting on the back of his desk chair. Beth just had to roll her eyes. Will's room was an organized mess. It always was, but he always knew where everything was, so she couldn't complain too much. "I always start working, get distracted and forget to get ready."

"Will, you can't wear a white vest with a white shirt." Beth pointed out and handed him the offending vest. Will put it back in his wardrobe.

"Why do you want my help anyway? I mean, it's not like you're trying to impress anyone." Beth said as she went over the remaining articles of clothing.

The thought of Will with a girlfriend made her almost sick. He was far too good for anyone at the Order or any noble woman. No one knew him. Well, sure they knew who he was and definitely what he looked like, but no one knew _him_. They didn't know the boy behind the good looks, dashing smile and the table full of dangerous test tube chemicals. Bethany did. She had known him long enough and doubted that there was something about him that she _didn't_ know.

"Samantha said she was going." Will said suddenly.

"Does that bother you?" Beth asked him as she handed him a deep sapphire blue silk vest to match his eyes. Not that she noticed, of course.

"A little." Will shrugged as he put it on. "I mean, since I don't have a, um…well…_date_, she'll be hanging off me every chance she gets."

Beth could just picture it in her mind's eye. Samantha, in most likely something very revealing, hanging onto Will's arm and pulling him back every time he tried to escape her grasp. I angered Beth a little. Well, more than a little. It actually angered her a lot. Samantha had no reason to ruin this for Will. No one did.

Beth then noticed Will messing with is ascot. It was black and he just couldn't seem to get it to sit straight. The girl laughed a little and helped him to get it set.

"Why aren't you going?" Will asked her as he held his chin up so Beth's hands would have enough room.

"I just really don't think it's worth it to get all pretty (and survive high heels) if there is no one to share it with or do it for." Beth answered. She finally got the ascot to cooperate and moved back to look at him. Will's hair was currently a mess, but a cute mess. He did look very handsome, but then again, most guys did when you cleaned them up a little. She had seen him dressed up a thousand times, but Beth never really noticed how good he really looked till now.

"Well?" Will asked. "Am I going to drive them all mad?"

"You'll certainly have a fan club." Beth almost laughed in response at Will being a little goofy. "Well, have a good time. I've got to go and meet Mori."

"I take it you two are on good terms then?" Will asked.

Beth nodded. Will had yet to meet Mori even though he knew her reputation well. Bethany was kind of hoping that they wouldn't meet for a while. Mori would probably scare him away. Mori would scare most sane people away…then again, no one in the Order was completely sane or they wouldn't have been in the Order in the first place.

"You and Mori have fun, then." Will said.

"We will." Beth answered. "Bye Will."

The girl then vanished out the door.

- - -

Mori sat reading in a chair in the living room with Logan laying at her feet. This book was being no help to her, but she thought that she'd re-read it incase she missed something. She looked up when Beth entered. She seemed a little upset.

"Everything alright?" Mori asked her as she closed the book.

"Yes and no." Beth answered, sounding a little stressed. "Will's going to that ball tonight and Samantha is going to be there. She's probably going to be hanging off him all night and annoying him to no end and making his night agonizing. It just bothers me. She really has no right. I mean, why should she make him so miserable?"

"If it bothers you so much, then why don't you do something about it?" Mori asked calmly. Beth looked at her and blinked a few times as her statement sunk in. She was absolutely right.

"Mori," Beth began. "want to go shopping?"

- -

Will stood in the corner of the ball room with his hands shoved in his pockets. He was bored and he had only been here for ten minutes. His sapphire eyes scanned over the group of dancing people. Across the room, he saw a group of twelve or thirteen year old girls fawning over Keeran. The dark boy only smiled charmingly and edged them on. Will wasn't really surprised. Keeran would be the type to pull something like that. He also knew that Samantha and her two friends were lurking around here somewhere. They never missed a chance to dress up and be annoying. Unfortunately, he had already seen Mikal. Luckily, he had been able to avoid him for the time being.

"Hey stranger."

Will turned to see Samantha. He had to fight not to groan out loud. Dang it. She found him. So much for having fun. She had her two friends with her, Katie and Cara. They were both on either side of him, blocking his way of escape. If he didn't know any better, he would have sworn they planned this.

"Hello, Samantha." Will attempted to be polite. She smiled up at him and slowly moved closer.

"Where's your date, Will?" she asked.

"She's…um…" Will started, but couldn't think of anything. He didn't want Samantha to hang around him all night, but the only thing that could stop that was a date. Currently, he didn't have one. "My…um…date…well, she…"

"Just arrived." Came a voice from behind him.

Surprised, Will turned around to see Bethany standing before him. She looked beautiful. She was in a deep violet, silk gown that had a low v-neck and a low back that was tight around her abdomen. The skirt then flowed out away from her and gently touched the floor. It looked like she had on several petticoats underneath the skirt. Her hair had been left as it usually was, soft and free as it cascaded down her back. She was an absolute vision. Calming his heart a little, Will smiled at her.

"Beth…wow." He said as he took her all in again, blinking a couple times to make sure he wasn't imagining things. He then offered her his arm. "May I have this dance?"

"I'd love to." Beth answered and took his arm. She did her best to hide her slight blush as she did so. Will's smile grew wider as he led her out onto the dance floor. Will placed a hand on her waist and took Beth's free hand. He began to lead her in the dance. Bethany could only smile. Everyone began looking at the couple in the middle of the floor. No one had really seen Beth in a dress before, well, not a dress like this. She looked like a real lady. Also, no one had seen them together like this before either. They seemed like a 'romantically involved' couple and not a 'just friends' couple as they always claimed to be. Beth looked around at the people and then at the floor, blushing.

"What?" Will asked her.

"Everyone is staring at us." Beth answered quietly as she looked up at him.

"Well, I think it's because they've never seen you this attractive before." Will told her. Beth smiled and blushed, but looked down again so he could hide it.

"Thanks, Will."

From the open doorway to the ballroom, Mori spotted William and Bethany in the middle of the dance floor. They were smiling. Mori smiled softly at seeing her friend happy. She hadn't seen her that way in a very long time. It was a nice change. After silently wishing Bethany luck, Mori vanished down the hall. As she did so, she made a mental note to meet this William Larc sometime in the near future.

Keeran watched Beth and Will glide around the dance floor. Well, in reality he was only watching Bethany. She was hard not to look at. She looked so lovely…and happy. That was what sickened him. She was content with William and _not him._ He couldn't stand it. She should be on his arm tonight, not Will's. Well, soon that would change.

- - -

Mori walked down the hall in a unique and rather good mood (which was precisely why it was a unique mood). She had her nose stuck in a book. Bethany was happy. That's really all that mattered right now. Beth had been through a lot in the past few months, so she deserved this. Mori had heard of and seen William around the Order quite a bit as well. He seemed like a good boy, but she'd still have to meet him. There was no other possible way for Mori to either deem him worthy enough to win her friend's affections or to deem him unworthy and send him someplace far away.

"Agent Mori Trice,"

Mori's good mood suddenly vanished. She knew that voice all too well. Growling silent curses to herself in Romanian, she snapped her book shut loudly and turned to see Mikal smirking at her.

"I thought you hadn't returned from the Transylvania assignment that you had six months ago. It's good to see that I was wrong." Mikal said. He looked Mori over with a certain glint in his eyes. That did it. Mori's good mood was gone. She could tell because she had to resist the urge to slap his grin off his face. Why did her good moods never last very long?

"Hello Mikal. Why aren't you at the ball? Did your date run off without you, perhaps?" Mori said with a hit of coldness to her voice that would have sent shivers up anyone's spine. She really was not fond of this man.

"I was actually hoping to fine one on the way. Care to join me?" Mikal asked as he held out a hand to her.

"I would not." Mori answered sternly and brushed his hand away. "In case you haven't figured out yet, Mikal, I'm not your type."

"And why do you think that?" Mikal asked her as he flashed his smile at her.

"It's not my job."

With that, Mori turned on her heel and left a shocked Mikal gaping after her.

- - -

Will walked Bethany back to her quarters. The ball had just ended and they were joking around a little bit. Beth finished laughing at one of his terrible jokes and smiled at him.

"I have to admit, Will, I actually had fun." The girl told him.

"I'm glad." Will answered. "Beth, what made you change your mind? About coming? I mean, I'm glad you did, but…why?"

"Well, I decided not to leave you to the vultures." Beth told him. Will laughed a little at her response.

"Samantha and her friends are more like hungry lions than vultures." Will pointed out. Beth smiled widely and nodded. "Thanks, for not leaving me to the lions, I mean. We should…we should do it again sometime. Maybe…dinner? Tomorrow?"

Beth smiled and looked down at her feet. She smoothed out the skirt of her gown before she found the courage to look up at Will again. "I'd like that."

"Great." Will felt his shoulders drop a little and he smiled widely at her. "I'll be by around seven."

"I'll be here." Beth told him. "Goodnight Will."

Will's smile stayed on his face. Beth saw that his eyes were shining brightly since he was happy. He touched her arm gently with his fingertips and then let his hand fall slowly as his eyes continued to shine.

"Goodnight Beth."


	6. Big Problem

**CHAPTER FIVE**

The next day, Bethany woke up a little later than usual since she had been out lat the night before. She washed her face before she changed out of her nightgown. She pulled on a pair of black pants, her boots, and a low scoop neck, forest green shirt. She was in the middle of brushing her hair when she heard a scream. Beth jerked her head up in surprise. Instantly, she jumped up, grabbed her hat and coat, and dashed out the door. She was going so fast that she almost ran into Mori in the hallway, who was doing the same thing.

"Where did that come from?" Beth asked as she flung her coat on over her shoulders.

"Follow me." Mori answered. Mori took off running out the door with Beth following her closely. Van Helsing, after coming out of his room when he heard the scream, saw the two girls take off. His instincts taking over, he ran after them. Also, he wasn't going to let Beth run off to have all the fun.

Bethany ran even with Mori. She was worried. Screams like the one she heard were rare in the Order, and for good reason. The screams usually heard were of surprise or anger (which were usually directed toward Carl because one of his experiments blew up). This wasn't that kind of scream. This was one of pure and utter terror.

"This room." Mori said pointing to a door that they came to. Not wanting to wait, Beth kicked it open and ran inside the room. The smell of blood instantly reached her nose. The room was a small one and set up for a single person. It had a bed, a wardrobe and a desk in it, but Beth wasn't focused on that. Lying in the middle of the floor was a girl. The young huntress ran over to her. She kneeled down and saw that the girl was already dead, her large blue eyes wide in terror and her mouth hung open in a silent scream. She was too late. Beth lowered her head and crossed herself.

"Rest in peace."

"Beth?" came Van Helsing's voice from the doorway. He had just now caught up with the girls.

"We're too late." Beth answered sadly. "She's dead."

Beth stood up, her eyes never leaving the girl's corpse. She didn't even turn around when Mori spoke.

"What do we do?"

"More importantly," Van Helsing began. "how did she die?"

Mori moved forward and bent down to inspect the girl. She turned her head to the side to see that the girl had two small holes in the side of her neck. Beth saw the marks on the girl's neck and quickly stumbled back. Whether it was from shock or fear, she didn't know. She did know what it meant, however.

"Vampires." She breathed.

"There's a vampire in the Order." Mori stated, but she sounded like she was thinking out loud. Beth looked at her father. She was scared and for a fleeting instant, it showed in her eyes. He just nodded, understanding her message completely.

"I'll go tell the Cardinal." He said.

"I'll come with you." Mori said standing and moved toward him.

"I heard a scream." Will said as soon as he appeared in the doorway. He was breathing hard and looked like he had been running. Keeran arrived only moments after Will's entrance. He was in the same state as Will. They had definitely been running like Beth and Mori had been only moments earlier.

"A girl has been killed." Mori told them. "To make things worse, it looks like it was done by a vampire."

"I'll go spread the word." Will said, looking a little scared and then ran off. Mori and Van Helsing left, but went in the opposite direction as Will. Bethany really didn't notice. She just walked toward the girl and knelt down next to her. Keeran watched her as he slowly walked into the room.

"Bethany?" he asked.

The girl jumped since she hadn't noticed that Keeran was in the room. She turned to him and then turned back to the girl.

"Her name was Cindy Lawrence. She was thirteen, Keeran. Thirteen! No one should die that young." Beth's voice grew quiet as if she was only speaking to herself.

"Were you close?"

"No." Beth answered. "But we knew each other. We spoke to each other occasionally. But I still feel I…and then a vampire…"

Beth sighed and shook her head. She stood up, her face turning hard. She was getting sentimental again. Bethany had seen many deaths, but every time, she still felt the same. She was supposed to protect people and when she couldn't (or worse, failed), she always felt badly. This time was no exception.

"It's always the vampires." She whispered.

"Beth…"

"I have to go." The girl cut him off

"Bethany! There is no reason to take this so seriously. You haven't even been assigned to it." Keeran said. Beth looked down and saw a note on the desk. Odd, there was nothing else on the desk at all. This note was meant to be seen. She scanned it and her eyes grew wide.

"Not…I have to go." Beth repeated herself, only more frantically this time with a touch of fear in her eyes.

"What about training?" Keeran asked, trying to stall her.

"Not now, Keeran." Beth said with cold eyes and placed her hat firmly on her head. "I'm working."

Beth then stalked off down the hall with the words she saw on the note burned into her memory.

_She won't be the last._

- - -

Mori was walking down the hall, her mind focused on the murder scene she had just examined. A vampire in the Order? Unlikely. However, there was that one thing she and Carl had been working on. That was a small detail, however. Still, with recent events, it was one she needed to tell Bethany, whether she wanted to or not. She had been putting it off and now she had no choice. Bethany needed to be told about it.

Mori was suddenly brought out of her thoughts when someone ran into her in the hallway. Mori and the person who ran into her, both surprised by the collision, fell back on the ground with a thud. Van Helsing stopped, but Mori gave him a look to forbid him from helping her, so he continued on to the Cardinal's office.

"Oh…I'm sorry! I didn't mean too…you see, I'm new…um, sorry." Said the boy who knocked her over, his British accent obvious. He quickly got up and offered Mori a hand. She took it and he helped Mori to her feet. Usually, she would have killed him, but she was preoccupied. She looked the boy over to thoroughly analyze him. He looked around eighteen or nineteen with messy bright red hair and bright green eyes.

"Are you alright, Miss…?" he asked.

"Trice, and yes, I am."

"I'm Dominic. Um, do you happen to know where Cardinal Amery's office is? I'm afraid I'm hopelessly lost." The boy asked her.

"I'll take you there." Mori told him and began to walk away. Dominic walked even with her through the halls of the Order. They were both silent for a very long time. Mori knew that if he was going to see Amery that it meant that Dominic was either a messenger, applying for the Order or he had an assignment. Since she had never seen him before, she guessed it was one of the first two.

"Are you applying?" Mori asked him finally.

"I am." He answered.

"For what, may I ask?"

"Research, actually." Dominic said as he turned his head to look at her and nodded. Mori nodded once in acknowledgement. They came to Amery's office and she stopped in front of it. She wasn't going to go in. She didn't like Amery at all and didn't wish to see him any time soon.

"Here it is." Mori said nodding to the door.

"Thank you." Dominic told her. Mori started to walk away. "Miss Trice?"

Mori turned around to Dominic, a slightly quizzical expression on her face. What did he want now?

"What do you do?" he asked her, smiling slightly in an adorable, almost lopsided way.

"I'm an assassin."

With that, Mori vanished back down the hall in a swirl of black.

- - -

_Bethany was running through the forest, her white gown shredded and covered in mud. Her heart was pounding madly in her chest as she ran. She had to get away from whatever was behind her. She didn't know what was there, and (from the feeling running up her spine) she didn't want to._

_Beth tripped over a log and landed hard on the ground. The girl let out a small moan of pain as twigs and hidden rocks cut into her skin. She couldn't concentrate on that now. Getting away was her only concern. She quickly pushed herself up and continued running._

"_Why are you running from me?" a voice echoed around Beth. It filled her with fear and she pushed herself on even more._

"_Come back to me, Bethany." It cooed. It sounded like it was right behind her!_

_Beth whirled around to see…nothing. Only the forest met her eyes. She looked around frantically as her breathing came in deep gasps. Still, everything seemed calm around her. The girl turned back around and screamed. Less than six inches behind her was a figure cloaked in black. The figure grabbed her arms and pulled her against them. They then leaned forward and whispered in her ear._

"_You will be mine."_

Bethany bolted upright in her bed, gasping for air. Her heart was pounding madly in her chest as if she had been running for a few miles. She was covered in sweat and shaking. Her door suddenly flew open to reveal Mori.

"Bethany?!" she asked worriedly.

"I'm fine." Beth answered, glancing over at the dark girl. "Just a nightmare."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Mori asked her, her tone calmer now that she knew that Beth was alright. "Usually nightmares don't make you scream at all hours of the night."

"You never know, Mori." Beth sighed and tangled her hands in her blanket. Of all the nightmares she had had, this was the only one she didn't want to talk to Mori about. She had been having it off and on for six months, and every time she had it, it became more real. Beth got up and stepped behind her screen. She changed into a pair of black pants, her boots and a dark red shirt.

"Bethany, where are you going?" Mori demanded.

"I just need some fresh air is all." The girl replied as she strapped on her sword and shoved her revolver in it's holster on her hip. With a vampire on the loose, Beth wasn't going to go anywhere unarmed. Sure, bullets wouldn't stop it, but they'd help.

"I have to tell you something." Mori said, trying to get her stay for a little bit longer so they could talk. They needed to have this discussion and they needed to have it now. Waiting was not an option.

"I'm sorry Mori, but it will have to wait." Beth said walking past her to the door. She had her fists behind her back so Mori wouldn't see them shake.

"Bethany, it can't…" Mori tried, but Beth had already shut the door. Mori sighed in aggravation.

"I swear, that girl will be the death of me."

- - -

Bethany found her way to the roof. She was sitting on it, letting the cool wind play with her loose hair. Her eyes looked out over the city, but she wasn't really seeing it. Her thoughts were consumed my her reoccurring nightmare. Was it a warning? Did it mean something? Why was she even having it? Did it have something to do with Mori? If so, what? Why did it keep getting worse?

"Couldn't sleep?" came a voice from behind her.

Beth turned to see Will. She smiled slightly at the boy. His hair was an adorable mess and he was covered in soot. He had been working.

"I couldn't." she admitted.

Will sat down next to her and looked out over the city. It was mostly dark, but there were still a few lights to be seen. The stars shown above and the moon cast enough light for both of them to see very far. It was a beautiful night. Too bad they knew that the serenity was untrue. They couldn't see the monsters lurking in the shadows from here.

"With all the vampire stuff going on, we never got our dinner together." Will said suddenly.

"Well, we'll just have to make it up, won't we?" Beth told him smiling a little at him. She then looked back out over the city.

"You alright, angel?" Will asked and shifted his weight so he was leaning toward her. "You seem a little distracted."

"I'm not really sure, Will." Beth answered and looked down at her lap. "With the whole vampire thing, I…well, I've just been thinking about the Transylvania assignment a lot."

"Why torture yourself, Beth?" Will inquired, concern in his eyes. "I know those memories still give you nightmares."

"It's not like it's voluntary, Will." Bethany defended herself as she looked up at him.

"I know! I know." Will said putting his hands in the air in defeat and then lowering them again. "I just…Why live in the past? Why not just move on?"

"It's not that easy, Will." Beth told him. "Sometimes the past won't let you be."

"Why not try?" Will said. "I mean, where would I be if I was always scared to blow up the lab? The Order wouldn't be interesting at all."

Beth laughed a little at him for this. Leave it to Will to know exactly how to cheer her up. She smiled at him. He smiled back at her, his teeth bright against his soot covered face.

"Thanks Will."

"Don't mention it, angel." He said smiling at her and then took her hand. He gently ran his thumb across the back of it to comfort her. "C'mon. I'll take you back."

"Okay." Beth answered quietly. Will stood and then helped Beth to do the same. She faltered slightly and Will quickly grabbed onto her upper arms.

"Careful." He said and helped her get her balance. "Don't fall."

Will took her hand and the two walked back to Bethany's quarters side by side.

- - -

Keeran had followed Bethany to the roof. This William Larc was really beginning to be a large problem. It made him sick. What did Bethany see in him that she didn't see in Keeran? Why was she spending so much time with him? He just couldn't figure it out.

He listened to Beth and Will's conversation from the shadows. They seemed to be very calm in their conversation. It seemed like they were comfortable with each other. Keeran wasn't really surprised. He had learned from Mikal that Beth and Will had known one another for eight years. They had been good and close friends all those years as well. That left the problem of how to get them apart. Keeran had only figured out one way to do it, but he would only use it as a last resort. If things didn't change, it looked like it was his only option.


	7. Beth's Love Life

**CHAPTER SIX**

Mori paced in front of the door as she waited for Beth to get back. She had never seen Beth that nervous before. There was no doubt in her mind that Beth was scared about something and she was running from whatever was scaring her. There was more than one thing she was running from too. Mori was willing to bet on it.

She heard voices outside the door and threw it open without a moment's hesitation.

"Bethany, come here." Mori told her. She reached out past Will and grabbed Beth's arm. She pulled her into the room and shut the door not half a second later. After a brief moment of thought, she opened the door to see a very confused William Larc in the hall.

"William Larc, I presume?" Mori asked with one eyebrow raised. Beth bit her lower lip in anticipation, praying that Mori didn't scare and/or kill him. She was actually quite fond of the boy and wanted him alive.

"Yes." He answered. He still looked a little bewildered after the events that had just occurred. Mori looked at Bethany for a moment and then at Will.

"I must speak to you in private. Bethany, stay here." Mori ordered and then stepped out into the hallway.

"Wait! But…"

Mori closed the door on Beth's sentence. The girl tried the handle, but found the door locked. Beth, in an attempt to get out, started banging on the door. Mori ignored her and just turned to Will, a smirk in her eyes and tugging at the edges of her lips.

"Come with me."

Will considered not doing it, but decided against it. He knew from the look in her eyes that making this girl angry was not a good idea. He followed her. Mori led Will out into the courtyard. She noticed that he was tense the entire time. He had a right to be. This was her after all.

"Sit." She said motioning to a stone bench. Will sat down rather nervously.

"So, William Larc, we finally meet." She said and sat across from him. A small, satisfied smile formed on her lips. "Mori Trice, a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Mori? _The_ Mori?" Will asked in surprise. Mori's smile turned to one of pleasure at being recognized, her eyes glittering ever so slightly. Will's stomach quickly tied itself into knots. Oh, this was not good. He knew Mori's reputation well enough to know that he was most likely in trouble.

"The very same. Now, I must speak to you about your interest in Bethany."

"My int…"

"Don't interrupt. Also, there are A few ground rules I must explain and the repercussions if one of them is ever broken."

"Oh boy." Will sighed nervously and ran his fingers through his hair. Yep, he was definitely in trouble. Mori only smiled wider, her icy eyes gleaming. She was going to enjoy this.

- - -

Beth had fallen asleep on the couch when Mori returned. She had a book lying open on her chest. Logan was resting in front of the couch and rose his head up off his paws when he saw his master. Mori shook her head at the girl and scratched Logan's ears. She picked the book up off Beth's chest before she looked it over for a moment. She then promptly threw it at her.

"Wake up, Sunshine."

"What?" Beth asked groggily as she opened her eyes. She then saw Mori and instantly sat straight up, all the fog out of her senses. "Where's Will?"

"He's fine, Bethany. We just had a friendly chat, is all." Mori replied and sat in a chair next to the couch that Beth was lying on. She was smirking as she said it. Logan obediently sat beside Mori's chair.

"Mori, if you ever have a 'friendly chat' with anyone, it usually means that they are dead." Beth pointed out as she crossed her legs on the couch.

"No, dear William is still very much alive." Mori told her. "But you and I have to talk. With a vampire in the Order, Bethany, you can't go running around at all hours of the night. I still prefer you living."

"But…" Beth started and then remembered the prophecy about her and Mori. Her eyes shot straight to her lap. "Oh, right."

"You forgot?" Mori asked sternly.

"I've been trying to." The girl answered honestly.

"Don't try as hard." Mori sighed. She had to get back on the subject at hand. "Bethany, something is bothering you, and don't try lying to me. What is it?"

"My nightmares are getting worse." Beth answered. "And I…just have…I…it's more like a feeling, really, that something terrible is going to happen and soon." The girl shook her head and shrugged. "I don't know. It's probably nothing. I mean, my nightmares are most likely making me jumpy, that or I'm paranoid."

Mori just nodded at this. "Have you been using your powers at all? They could be causing your nightmares."

"Mori, my powers…we really don't get along anymore."

"And why is that?"

"I just…" Beth paused. The last time she used her powers, she almost brought down an entire building, which would have killed her and everyone inside it. Her job was to protect innocents, not to kill them. Maybe her control wasn't as good as she thought it was. "They've become too dangerous."

"And mine aren't?" Mori told her sarcastically.

"But all the innocent people…" Beth looked back up at Mori, but the dark girl cut her off.

"Bethany, I've _killed_ innocent people. Never on purpose of course, but it happens." Mori said almost angrily, hurt flashing in her eyes. Her voice then became eerily soft. "You just have to live with that."

"I'm not going to kill one, even on accident."

"Don't make promises you can't keep. You never know what you'll do in the future."

Beth remained silent. She really wasn't sure how to respond to that.

"Bethany," Mori started, but stopped. Memories of Peter, her old partner, flashed through her mind. Pushing them aside, she began again. What she had to tell her couldn't wait any longer, especially after that girl was attacked. "I need to tell you something. That girl who was killed, she wasn't killed by a vampire."

"What?" Beth asked confused, shock showing in her eyes. "It doesn't…the bite marks, the blood, the…"

"It was a half vampire, Bethany." Mori cut her off and quickly continued before Beth could say anything. "It's what Carl and I have been working on. When I was at Valerious Manor, I found something that was quite disturbing to me. To be sure, I was forced to leave and continue the research on my own. What I had found was proven to be true. When a human and an immortal have children, the babies are always twins. The twin born first has no soul where the second born does. I…Carl and I have been secretly compiling a list of who my twin could be for five months."

"Mori…you were here this whole time and…"

"Don't interrupt. You and William have a habit of doing that. What Carl and I have guessed, which has been proven by the sudden death of that girl, is that they are in the Order."

"Do you know who it is?" Beth asked, feeling a few small knots form in her stomach from fear and anxiety. After Transylvania, she'd rather avoid any and all vampires if she could.

"No, not yet. We have a list of about twelve people, but nothing is definite." Mori answered calmly.

"Is…but…" Beth made a small noise as she fell back on the couch in confusion. Mori had a twin, they were in the Order, they killed someone and they would kill again. Not to mention the speculation. Everyone in the Order was under suspicion of being a vampire. Most people that Beth had talked to thought it was Mori. Mori's reputation was widely known. She had never failed to finish a job, which led many to believe that she was too good to be true, at least not without help.

"This is why you have to be careful, Bethany." The dark girl urged her.

"You too, Mori."

"What do you mean?" Mori asked, not quite understanding what the young Van Helsing meant.

Beth sat up and looked Mori square in the eye.

"Everyone is under suspicion of being a vampire, especially you. A lot of people think you're too good to be true. If anyone came close to the truth…with proof…" Beth trailed off, knowing that was all that needed to be said. Mori rubbed the bridge of her nose, thinking.

"I see." Mori said at last. "Then we'd best look out for each other, then."

"Don't we always?" Beth replied with an genuine smile on her lips. There was no fear or stress in it. Just a smile. It was a rare treasure that Mori enjoyed seeing.

Mori nodded, a small smirk in her eyes. "Very true. So far, it seems to have worked."

"It has, hasn't it?" Beth said getting up. "I'm going to bed. Night, Mori."

"Good night, Bethany." Mori told her quietly as she watched her walk down the hall to her room. Mori didn't relax till Beth had closed the door.

- - -

Bethany and Mori were in the armory about two days after their little chat. They had both been careful. Mori about her vampiric nature and Beth about anyone else who could be a soul-less half vampire. Needless to say, things had been a little tense. Beth was looking over a sword that had caught her eye. Swords wouldn't do any good against a vampire unless you cut their head off, but it was sharp and deadly. Therefore, it was still a good weapon option. Mori was cleaning her many weapons that were constantly kept with her. Most were daggers but there was the occasional revolver or odd thing that Beth had no idea what it was.

"Have you spoken with Jen lately?" Beth asked Mori.

"No, I haven't heard a thing about princess." Mori said as she took her dagger in hand. She then began to hunt for a cloth to use in order to clean the blade.

"The sword just made me think of her." Beth said as she tilted her head slightly. "She was always the best with a sword."

"Those who live by the sword, Bethany, are usually shot by those who live by the gun." Mori pointed out. Beth laughed at her saying this. Leave it to Mori to think of something like that.

"True, Mori. How do you think she's doing, anyway?"

"If she was in trouble, she'd let us know." Mori answered. She found a cloth and began wiping down her blade. The girls then heard the door open. They both looked to see Will walking toward them. He nodded to Mori, who nodded back, and then smiled at Beth. He moved toward her and carefully reached around her to grab a sword. There were a few brief moments where they were so close to each other that they almost touched. Beth almost forgot to breathe. Will pulled the sword down, smiled at Beth again, and left. Beth watched him till he shut the door and was out of sight. Mori almost smirked and glanced at Bethany out of the corner of her eye. Perfect.

"Have you two had your date yet?" she asked.

"Mori! It's not a date!" Beth defended herself even though she could feel herself begin to blush.

"And taking someone to dinner isn't?"

"Mori! We've gone to dinner before. It's no big deal." Beth was desperately trying to hide her blushing once again. She could almost feel the heat radiating off her cheeks.

"Alright, alright." Mori back down. Her opinion, however, had not changed. "So when is this get together?"

"Tomorrow night." Beth answered.

Mori just nodded. "By the way, Bethany, you and your father may want to speak to Cardinal Jinette soon."

"Why?"

"I heard he's trying to get you married." Mori said setting down her blade. Beth hung the sword back on the wall as her friend continued on. "And I assume you don't want to be given away like a piece of furniture."

"I'll go talk to him." Beth said quickly and left the room. There was no way she was going to be married off. There was only one man she knew who could help her stop this because she knew for a fact that he didn't want her married at all. She found Van Helsing out in the courtyard working on his aim.

"We have to talk." Beth told him.

"About what?" Van Helsing asked as he rested the rifle he had been using on his shoulder casually.

"Not us. Us and Jinette." Beth said quickly. "He's trying to marry me off."

Van Helsing's back went rigid. His daughter, _married_?! Heck, he didn't even want her _dating_. There was no way he was going to let her get married. Not now anyway. Maybe when she was around thirty...or three hundred.

"Let's go." Van Helsing said urgently. Beth nodded in agreement. The two made their way to Jinette's office as quickly as they could. Van Helsing still had the rifle on his shoulder when they burst through the door to his office. Jinette was surprised at their entrance and looked up from his papers.

"Beth…Van Helsing…"

"Cardinal, we have to talk." Beth said as Van Helsing shut the door. "Answer me truthfully, have you decided on arranging a marriage for me?"

"Yes, I have."

Beth held in a groan and fought not to wince. She only had one answer to that.

"You can't and I won't!" Bethany told him firmly, doing her best to hide the rage in her voice.

"Beth, I know you don't like it, but things would be different if…"

"Her father was still alive?" Van Helsing cut Jinette off. The Cardinal was surprised again at Van Helsing knowing what to say. He glanced at the door. Van Helsing had locked it. Well, this certainly was an unusual situation.

"Yes, yes of course. If her father was alive." He replied calmly.

"Cardinal, my father _is_ alive." Beth told him.

"Beth…"

"My birth certificate, Cardinal, had his name on it." The girl cut him off.

The Cardinal looked at Beth and then at Van Helsing. Realization was slowly dawning on him. Could it be? "Beth…is…"

"Yes, I am." Van Helsing cut him off. Jinette's jaw dropped. Van Helsing was a father?…_Beth's_ father?…Wow.

"Well, that explains a lot." Jinette mumbled. Beth smiled a little. Yes, yes it did.

"Cardinal, may I make two things perfectly clear? One: this is a secret. We both have enemies that would use this information against us. Two; my daughter will _not_ be getting married any time soon." Van Helsing told him sternly. Usually, he wouldn't give Jinette an order unless he was angry or someone was doing something foolish. However, when it came to his only child, Van Helsing wouldn't have _anyone_ deciding her future for her.

"I… you are a father? Well, yes, but…Beth's? I never expected…" the Cardinal fell silent once he realized he was rambling. Beth looked at Van Helsing, who nodded.

"I'll be outside if you need me." He said and left the office after unlocking the door. He then leaned beside the door with his arms crossed. His ear was still close enough to the door that he could hear what was going on.

"Cardinal Jinette…" Beth started, but stopped. Jinette had practically raised her since she was eight. He wasn't just a boss to her. He was family. Even though he was old enough to be her grandfather, he was _Beth's_ grandfather. Nothing was ever going to change that.

"Alex," she began again. "I know this is a bit of a shock, but even if my dad wasn't Gabriel Van Helsing, he'd still not want me married."

"You haven't called me Alex since you were nine." Jinette answered. Beth smiled softly.

"Seven." Beth corrected him. "I had to stop when I was eight because I began studying to work for you."

"Oh yes." Jinette recalled. "Yes, that's right." He paused. "Beth, I never thought that you would ever…" he stopped. "You have found the man that I've pretended to be for years."

"You aren't being replaced!" Beth assured him. "You raised me. No one can ever take that away."

"He's protective of you?" the man asked after a long silence

"Very." Beth answered smirking. "You might even say that's an understatement."

Jinette nodded. He seemed to be thinking. "Then it seems that I have no say in your marriage. No doubt you will be taken care of."

Beth just hugged the man around the neck happily. Jinette reached up and patted the girl's arm.

"Thank you, Alex." She told him.

"You are welcome, child." he answered. Beth then happily vanished out the door.

"How'd it go?" Van Helsing asked her, acting like he didn't already know.

"Well, it went very well…and I _won't_ be getting married."

Van Helsing smiled. "Wonderful! Now I don't have to kill anyone."

Beth just shook her head. Oh, her father!

- - -

The next day, Beth was in the armory alone. She was polishing the dagger that always stayed in her boot. She had her coat hanging on the back of the chair behind her. It was warm in this particular room. She was in a black, scoop-neck corset with thick straps that went over her shoulders. It had red lace all over it, making it look more feminine than most of her wardrobe. She had on black boots and black pants with them along with a red sash that tied at her hip.

Her hair was in her face, so she set down her dagger and brushed it away. She and Will would be having their dinner shortly and she wanted to be ready. She would never admit it, but she would often lose track of time like Will, so she needed to be ready early. The dagger cleaning was to keep her busy while she waited. She was almost getting nervous. But why? It was just Will. Then again, it was Will.

"Bethany?"

The girl jumped and turned around to see Keeran. He wasn't too far away from her. There was maybe less than a foot separating them. How did he sneak up behind her that quietly? Maybe she was just concentrating so much that she wasn't paying attention.

"You scared me." Beth told him as she got her heart beat to calm down. "I didn't know that you were there."

"It's a gift, really." Keeran answered with a shrug. He took a few steps toward her, causing Beth to back up till she ran into the table behind her. It rattled when she hit it. His eyes flashed when she hit the table and Beth swallowed. Something wasn't right here. She could just feel it.

"You look nice." Keeran told her.

"Um, thank you." The girl answered nervously. "Would you mind backing up?"

Keeran took a small step back. "What is the occasion?"

"No occasion, really." Beth said doing her best to shrug casually. Her muscles had gone tense. "Will and I are just going to get some dinner."

"Really?"

"Yes…" they then heard the clock chime the hour. Beth quickly made a face. "and I'm late."

Beth grabbed her dagger and put it in her boot. She put on her coat and ran out the door, completely ignoring Keeran, or doing her best to do so. He was not an easy person to ignore since he gave her the creeps every time he entered the room. She got to her quarters and brushed her hair quickly before there was a knock on the door. She went to get it.

"Have a nice date, Bethany." Came Mori's voice from the living room. She then heard a small yip from Logan.

"It's not a date!" Beth told her. She then opened the door to see Will. He looked very handsome in a white shirt, brown pants, boots and his brown coat.

"Ready?" he asked her nervously.

"Yes." Beth said and shut the door behind her.

The evening went well. The restaurant they went to was wonderful. Both of them had pasta, which Will thought was a disaster since he accidentally flung a meatball half way across the room. Well, he thought it was a disaster till Beth started laughing. The waitress wasn't too happy with him, however. After dinner, they strolled around St. Peter's square, neither of them wanting to go inside since it was such a lovely evening. The breeze was soft and it played with the ends of Beth's hair as they walked.

"So, you told Jinette?" Will asked after Bethany had explained to him about her conversation with the Cardinal the day before. "Is he still making you get married?"

"No." Beth answered. "No, he's not."

"Oh, good." Will sighed in relief.

"Why? I mean, I don't want to get married _now_, but maybe…someday…" The girl trailed of into silence. Marriage was something she secretly wanted, but never expected to get it? Her? Fall in love? Not likely.

"And who will this lucky guy be?" Will asked her smiling slightly.

"He's…out there, somewhere…maybe. Again Will, why such an interest in my love life?" Beth asked him.

Will tensed up, but not visibly. He liked Beth, but he couldn't tell her. They were friends, _only_ friends. She couldn't know how he truly felt about her. It'd ruin their friendship and he'd lose her. He couldn't bare that. He'd rather die then lose his Bethany, his angel.

"Have you seen Keeran lately?" is what came out of his mouth.

"What?" Beth asked, disgusted. "Do you think that I could actually like _him_? Will, he drives me crazy! You know that."

"Well, sometimes I…"

Beth froze. Is that what he really thought of her? That she could be so easily swayed or that shallow? That she could stoop that low? After their entire friendship, that was really what he thought of her?

"Just drop it, Will." Beth told him quickly and walked away. She walked inside the Order, well, more like ran. She didn't want Will to see her this upset. He had just made her think of Keeran in the armory earlier that day. He hadn't changed at all, but the tone he had used and the air around him had scared her. He had seemed…well…almost _vampiric_. After the Transylvania assignment, Beth had done her best to stay away from vampires, especially because of her nightmares. They scared her more now then when she didn't know what they were capable of. It just meant that she wasn't an idiot. Still, she felt silly for being scared.

Bethany stormed into her home and Mori looked up from her book. Logan even raised his head off his paws and perked his ears toward Beth. Mori was instantly on her feet. She knew something was wrong.

"Bethany?" the dark girl asked her.

The young Van Helsing kept walking.

"Bethany!"

"I'm fine, Mori!" Beth said as she dashed into her room. She was surprised to hear that her voice was shaking. Bethany then shut the door to her room and laid back on the bed. She pulled her coat off, got up, hung it over the back of her chair and laid back down on her bed again. She closed her eyes tightly in thought. She was only going to close them for a moment, but she fell asleep the second her eyes were shut.

- - -

Mori heard a knock on the door. She closed her book and looked at Logan. His ears perked up, along with is head when he raised his golden eyes to look at her. The knock came again. The dark girl glanced at Bethany's bed room. It had been at least an hour since she'd come home. And yes, she had a very good guess as to who this could be.

"Should I get it?" the dark girl asked her pet.

The dog nodded. Sighing, Mori got up to get it. She opened the door to see Will. Her eyes narrowed at seeing him.

"Do you know how many rules you have just broken?" she asked the boy, her voice cold as ice.

"Um…" Will paused awkwardly as he counted them up in his head. "eighteen."

"Nineteen. I just added one." Mori corrected him. "What do you want?"

"Will you give this to Beth?" Will said holding out a folded piece of paper. Mori just gave him a look. Most people would have run away, but not this boy. No, he stayed firmly in place. Will's face became pitiful. "Please." He almost begged. "Please. I can't bare her being upset over some stupid thing I did."

Mori still gave him a look, but took the note. Before anything else was said, she shut the door. From the other side, she heard a muffled voice.

"Thanks Mori."

Mori heard him leave and then sat down by the fire once again. She opened the note and read it. She knew that, morally, it was wrong. There were three things, however, that justified this action. One; this was Bethany and Mori was going to do everything in her power to protect her. Two; Mori knew that morals often keep people from knowing sometimes life-saving information. Three; some rules are meant to be broken.

After reading it, Mori wrote a message of her own for Bethany. She then folded both notes together, sealing them with wax. She went into Beth's room, silent as she could be, and found the girl asleep on her bed. Mori put the notes in Beth's coat pocket, where she knew that she'd find them. Mori then snuck out of the room again, shutting the door behind her.


	8. Kidnapping

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

Bethany woke up in the middle of the night. She was laying on her side in her bed. Her window was open, letting in the cool night breeze. She could feel it on her back and the back of her exposed neck. The girl yawned a little and rolled over to face her window. It looked kind of spooky with the curtains blowing in and the full moon above shining in through the open window. The wind was cold with a distinct, crisp scent. It smelled like rain. It must have been raining somewhere.

Beth got out of bed and shut the window. She almost regretted it. The bed was warmer than her room. Suddenly, a small, tingling sensation ran down her spine. The girl froze. Something wasn't right. Her eyes searched the shadows of her room for anything unusual. Nothing met her eyes. Everything looked alright, but something didn't _feel_ right. It felt like something dark was watching her. She had had this feeling before and quite frequently in the past few months, but it had never been this strong.

Beth shook her head, dismissing the thought. She was probably just being paranoid. Besides, Mori was in the living room and her father was only a few yards away. Nothing harmful could get in past them without being noticed, let alone still alive.

Bethany sighed and pulled her coat on. It was cold in her room. Maybe the night was just cold. She couldn't really tell. The girl moved toward the door, but stopped short of opening it. She leaned on it instead with her forehead resting on the door.

"What am I doing?" she asked herself. "Will won't be up. Even if he was, he probably doesn't want to speak to me anymore."

Beth sighed sadly and moved to sit on the edge of her bed and put her face in the safety of her hands. She had ruined things with Will. That was the worst thing she could ever imagine. With one comment, their friendship had ended. It wasn't official, but the look on his face was all she needed. It was over.

"Bethany Monroe."

The girl jumped at hearing her name and looked up to see a figure cloaked in black standing in front of the door. Reacting on instinct, Beth shot up and reached for the closest thing to her that would work as a weapon. Her fingers wrapped around a candlestick and she threw it at the intruder. They ducked to avoid getting hit, which was the reaction Beth was hoping for. She had just enough time to bolt past them and to the door. Bethany was half way out when the figure lurched out to grab her. The girl leaned backward as she slammed the door shut. The girl lost her footing and fell. She landed hard with her shoulder colliding on the wall across from her room. She moaned in pain and held her throbbing shoulder.

The door knob started to rattle, the intruder trying to get out. Beth swallowed, forcing down a sudden wave a fear, and dived into Carl's lab. The girl shut the door and locked it. Beth let out a sigh of relief and leaned her back against the door. She closed her eyes and took a moment to catch her breath. Her heart was pounding madly in her chest and made her ears ring. What was going on? Was that the person who killed the girl? If so, why? Why did they come after Beth? She hadn't done anything. Did she? If they weren't the person who killed the girl, who were they and what did they want with her?

Bethany suddenly felt a gloved hand fly over her mouth. The girl's eyes darted open and she screamed even though it was muffled by the hand. The figure used their other hand to keep Beth pinned against the wall. She struggled, trying to free herself, but her captor only held her tighter. Beth reached out and found the neck of a bottle. She threw it's contents at the figure. They reeled back to avoid betting splattered, temporarily letting go of their captive. Bethany whirled around to open the door. She didn't even have time to unlock it before she was grabbed around the waist from behind. Beth screamed when she was pulled back, her back pressed against her captor's chest.

"Let go!" she demanded. The young huntress was kicking and thrashing about in an attempt to free herself. If she couldn't get free, then at least she could make as much noise as possible so someone would hear and come help her.

"Quiet Bethany. Stop that." The figure hushed her. They quickly turned her around and blew a blue powder that stung when she inhaled. Her captor then let go of her. Beth began coughing violently as her world began to spin. She felt nauseous and had to fight not to throw up. Her head began to throb. Beth felt weak, as if her limbs were fifty pounds heavier than before and fell to her knees. The world started to darken. A pounding then came on the door.

"Bethany!" came Mori's voice from the other side of the door. She sounded worried. The girl couldn't comprehend much more than that at the moment. Her vision was blurry and she suddenly felt very, very weak. Her eye lids were half shut already. No! No, she couldn't let herself black out, not now.

"Mori," Beth tried weakly and collapsed in a heap on the ground. The figure bent down and scooped the semi-conscious Bethany up in their arms, cradling her head against their chest. Beth would've fought had she been able to understand what was going on.

"M-Mori." The girl tried again.

"Shhh." The figure hushed her gently. "Sleep, Bethany. It will all be over soon enough."

Beth unwillingly slipped into blackness.

- - -

"Bethany!" Mori called through the door after she heard someone's voice. She knew the voice well. It was Keeran's, no doubt about it. What was he doing here? How did he even get past her? No response came. Mori tried not to panic.

"Bethany?!" she shouted again. Still no response. Finally, she backed up and kicked in the door. She had no time left for subtlety. The door feel inward off it's hinges and hit the floor with a clatter. The dark girl rushed in to see that the room was empty. There was a broken bottle on the floor and the obvious signs of a struggle. And open window awaited her at the other end of the room. They were gone. She swore under her breath. It was Keeran. It had to be! No one else could have possibly gotten past her without her noticing.

"Gabriel!" Mori shouted turning on her heel. She ran from the lab to Van Helsing's room. Not wanting to waste time, she grabbed the pitcher of water he had by his wash bowl and threw it on the sleeping monster hunter. Van Helsing instantly sat up in shock and surprise. He ran a hand over his face to try and get the water off it and then brushed his dripping hair back to get it out of his face.

"Mori…" he growled angrily, but she didn't give him the chance to go on.

"Bethany has been kidnapped!" she hissed.

Van Helsing's heart dropped into his stomach. Not Bethany, not his daughter. "What?! When?"

Van Helsing jumped out of bed and grabbed his pistol off the night stand.

"Not even five minutes ago." Mori said. "It was Keeran. I heard him."

"Where is he?" he demanded, cocking the gun.

"Gone." Mori said solemnly. "But I know where he's going."

"Tell me where, Mori." Van Helsing growled, hiding the hurt in his voice. His daughter was missing…and he couldn't do anything about it. He took a deep breath to calm down and then glanced at Mori, who finally answered.

"Transylvania."

- - -

"Alright Mori." Van Helsing said as he put the saddle on his horse. The sun had just come up to start a new day. After Beth had been taken, they immediately set out to prepare for the long trip to Vaseria. Mori had written a note for Jinette and left it on his desk. She also cabled Jen before they set out so she knew that they would be coming. Mori wasn't to terribly happy. One; her best friend was kidnapped. Two; her best friend was kidnapped by her evil twin and three; they had to go back to Transylvania. It just seemed she could never escape that forsaken place.

Carl glanced between the troubled father and the worried friend. He was scared of Transylvania (as any sane person would be), but Bethany was more important. It was his duty to go. So he would go. The dark girl glanced at the monster hunter when he addressed her.

"Yes?"

"What _aren't_ you telling us?" the hunter asked eyeing her carefully. The half vampire glanced over at Carl, who was doing his best to avoid Van Helsing's gaze. He was occupying himself with his horse's saddle. He didn't have to pretend very hard. He couldn't quite remember what went where.

"We found out that when a vampire and a mortal have children, they usually have twins." Mori said calmly.

"We?" Van Helsing asked.

"Carl and I. We've been secretly working on it for the past five months. It's why I left. When I got a hint of it, I left for London. I knew I couldn't drag you all into this again, but I realized I needed help." Mori explained as Logan began pacing in front of her, finally sitting down by her side. Van Helsing glared at Carl, who quickly vanished behind his horse.

"You have a twin?" Van Helsing asked, slightly disbelievingly.

"Older twin." Mori corrected him. "The eldest twin has no soul."

Van Helsing sighed angrily. This was just the news he needed right now. "Great. Who is it?"

"With recent events, Keeran."

"Him?!"

"Again, another reason I hate my family." Mori grumbled as she picked up Logan and set him on the back of the horse's saddle. She then mounted herself.

Van Helsing mounted also, wordlessly. His only child had not only been kidnapped, but kidnapped by her best friend's twin brother who just happened to be the soul-less son of his archenemy, Count Dracula. Wow, good luck explaining this one to Jinette. It sounded like something out of a melodramatic horror novel.

In a few moments, they were calmly (but briskly) riding out of the Vatican's gates. Things seemed to be going smoothly till Mori stopped them. Logan's ears twitched back and forth a few times, but other than that, he didn't move at all. Mori dismounted, listening. She still heart it, and it was getting louder. Logan raised it head off his paws. He heard it now as well. Mori glanced at him and then scratched the back of one of his ears. Van Helsing and Carl dismounted as well, both of them confused. Why was Mori stopping?

Mori turned around and, through the dawn and slight mist of the morning, saw a figure dismount their own horse. The person then led the horse up the hill to where the group was waiting. They were moving very quickly/

"William Larc, what do you think you are doing?" Mori demanded with crossed arms at seeing the boy.

Will pushed his hair back when he looked at her. He sighed, his breath making small phantoms in the cool morning air. It was cool enough that he put on his brown leather duster with the mantle that fell half way to his elbows. The expression on his face was full of worry, but fire blazed in his sapphire eyes. His hair was a mess and his shirt and pants looked like they had just been thrown on. He looked like he'd just rolled out of bed. William still walked right up to Mori, unfazed.

"Is it true?" he asked her, his voice as firm as his eyes.

"Is what true?"

"Beth!" Will exclaimed worriedly. "Has she run off!?"

"No." Mori answered calmly. "She was kidnapped by Keeran."

"What?" Will demanded, half in shock and half in worry.

"He took her to Transylvania." Mori continued to stay calm. "We are going to get her back."

"I'm coming with you." Will said before she could even finish.

"No." Mori answered firmly. "We can handle it."

"I'm still coming with you." He said, sheer determination showing in his voice and in his eyes.

"You don't know…"

"Don't Mori!" Will cut her off as he raised his voice slightly. "Beth is my friend as much as she is yours and I have aright to lay down and die for her if I choose too!"

"Would you?" Mori asked, her voice tranquil. "William, if you come with us, there is a chance that you will die. There is no getting around it."

"I know that." Will said, his anger subsiding and his voice lowering to it's usual volume. He sighed in aggravation and ran his fingers through is hair. "Mori, she still had nightmares about that place. And I…I just… I can't stand the thought of her having to do it again."

His voice was quiet and sorrowful, quite the contrast from his earlier anger. This was Bethany that was in trouble, _his_ Bethany! He wasn't going to sit by while she needed him. He would never be able to live with himself if something happened to her.

"She's not a damsel in distress that you can save, William." Mori told him.

"It's not going to stop me from trying to protect her." Will answered, eyes glowing with determination.

The dark girl was silent for a moment as was Carl and Van Helsing. Frankly, Will and Mori had forgotten that they were even there. Mori looked the boy over. He was set and determined, much like another certain half angel that Mori knew. Her icy eyes met his. What she saw showed her that he was going with or without her consent. He was _going_ to do this. Well, she might as well be able to keep an eye on him.

"Alright." Mori said finally. "What do you have with you?"

"Two revolvers, extra ammunition, a bottle of glycerin forty-eight and half a dozen different explosives."

The dark girl raised an eyebrow, slightly impressed. "Do you always carry that much?"

"Yes."

"Good. You're learning." Mori said with a nod. "We better get moving then."

Mori and Will each mounted their horses. Carl appeared by Will and placed a hand on his horse's saddle. He looked worried. Carl was worried. This was his nephew. He wasn't about to let him go into danger lightly. He knew what awaited them. Will didn't. He couldn't even imagine what was in Transylvania.

"Will, are you sure about this?" Carl asked his nephew. Will nodded.

"I don't see how I could be."

"Then let's hurry." Van Helsing said as he mounted. "I don't want to waste any more time."


	9. The Evil Twin

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

Bethany slowly regained consciousness, but didn't open her eyes. Her head hurt too much. It was throbbing steadily and it didn't seem like it was going to let up any time soon. Her whole body ached, her muscles stiff and bones cold. She'd have to tell her dad that she wasn't going to get up for a while if he came in to check on her.

Beth then remembered what happened the night before. She instantly sat up and her eyes darted open, wide with panic. She was sick immediately. Her stomach lurched in protest at her sudden movements as her hand few to her mouth in order to keep her last meal inside her. Her head and body roared in pain and she closed her eyes against it. After a few moments, the sick feeling subsided as the pain slowed to a dull roar and she opened her eyes again before she lowered her hand.

The bed she was on was covered in red and black fabric. It was soft, maybe silk. She brushed her fingers over it and then looked at the rest of the room. The entire room was stone with one window, sealed shut and too small for her to get out of anyway. To her left was a large pair of dark wood doors. Dark red curtains covered the walls and there was an elaborate black and red rug on the floor that almost covered the entire area. By the sliver of a window were two black leather chairs and a small coffee table that looked to be made of black marble. To the side of the little sitting area was a single book shelf filled with books.

The girl shivered. The room was very cold and she hugged herself in an attempt to stay warm. Her coat was missing. They may explain why it was so cold. Her head was still pounding and her stomach was tied into knots of worry and fear. Slowly, she stood up. Her head's pounding became far more painful and the room began to spin again. Beth reached out and braced herself against the four poster bed.

The door suddenly flew open to reveal Keeran. Beth swallowed. He smiled softly when he saw her, the door swinging shut behind him.

"I see you're awake." He told her calmly enough.

Beth's mind was reeling. Her thoughts were almost too muddled to make sense. Keeran was here, wherever 'here' was. Was he a prisoner? No! His voice! It was his she heard last night. He was the one who kidnapped her!

"What do you want?" Beth demanded, her voice surprisingly steady for how weak she felt. She could barely stand and she felt sick to her stomach. She was in no condition to fight if she had too. However, her voice was nothing but strong and confident.

"Bethany, I don't want anything from you." Keeran slowly moved toward her. Beth would've moved backward to stay away from him, but she would have collapsed without the support of the bedpost. She pushed her back against the bedpost till her spine hurt. Keeran reached out to touch her, but his hand fell short. He rested a coat over her shoulders. It was her own.

"You are shivering." He told her and kept his hands on her shoulders.

"Let go." Beth managed to shake him off, but she lost her balance. The girl hit the floor with a thud and her coat fell from her shoulders. She bit down on her lower lip to hold in a moan of pain. Keeran, who seemed unfazed by Beth's reaction, bent down and helped her up as gently as he could since the girl was trying to avoid his touch at all costs. Beth pulled her arm free and leaned against the bedpost.

"You must be hungry." He told her as he picked up her coat and folded it over his arm. He then held a hand out to her. "C'mon."

"No." Bethany answered as she shook her head. Her voice had weakened now and no longer held the confidence it once had. She was scared. What was going on? She had no idea. She had no control and it was almost more than she could bare.

"You can't even stand, my dear." Keeran pointed out calmly, yet forcefully enough that Beth had to fight not to recoil. "You are vulnerable. If I wanted to do something to you, I would have done so already."

"You kidnapped me!" Beth exclaimed as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "That hardly gives me reason to trust you, Keeran."

"I have my reasons, Bethany." Keeran answered firmly.

"What?" The girl demanded. "I don't see…"

"I brought you here to get you away, to keep you." He cut her off as he raised his voice to her. Keeran took her hand in his own before she could protest. He then spoke, his voice calm once again. "Perhaps we could discuss this more while you eat."

"I'm not hungry." Bethany mumbled and jerked her hand away. She crossed her arms over her chest to make herself smaller. His hand was freezing cold. It was almost like he was made of ice.

"I won't take no for an answer this time." Keeran told her. Beth tried to back up, but her legs couldn't support her. She fell, but Keeran quickly caught her in his arms before she hit the ground.

"Let go!" Bethany squeaked. She shoved him away, forcing Keeran to drop her and she collapsed on the floor. She tried to catch herself, but she failed. The impact of her body on the stone floor reverberated through her bones. Beth bit down on her lower lip to keep from groaning.

"Don't be scared. I won't hurt you…"

"Stop it." Beth told him quietly. The girl grabbed onto the bedpost and pulled herself up. She held onto it tightly to keep from falling. It wasn't as hard as it was before to stay standing. Her knees weren't shaking quite as much. Inwardly, the girl smirked a little. She was healing already.

Keeran reached forward and put and arm around her waist. He then pulled her against his side. The girl shuddered. "You'll feel better after you've had something to eat."

He guided her out of the room before Bethany could protest. Beth pushed against him, but Keeran only held her tighter. The girl could only shudder.

"You are shaking." He told her gently.

"It's cold." She lied. It was cold and it didn't help that her coat was over Keeran's arm and not over her shoulders instead where it should be. She was scared, absolutely petrified. She had been kidnapped by an agent of the Knight of the Holy Order. Not to mention he was _touching_ her. Sure, they touched during training sessions, but this was different. That was self-defense touching. His touch now was gentle, but firm. Keeran was acting like he cared for her, as if he loved her. She fought another wave of nausea at the thought.

Keeran pulled her into the room that had a long dining table in it. He sat Beth down in a chair, placing her coat over her shoulders and then sat next to her. The girl leaned away from him. She tried to push the chair out so she could get away, but didn't quite have the strength yet.

"Where am I?" she asked him. Beth had her fingernails digging into the underside of the arms of the chair. Needless to say, she was a little tense.

"Specifically, I cannot tell you." Keeran answered. "You are with me. That's all you need to know."

Bethany took a deep breath and closed her eyes. _Wait for it._ She told herself. _Wait for it._ Keeran stood up and then knelt down next to Bethany's chair. He put a hand over hers. The girl jumped in surprise and quickly stood up, knocking the chair over on the floor in the process. It took her a second to realize what she was doing. She was standing. That meant she could run.

Beth sprinted toward the door as fast as her legs would carry her. Keeran was faster. He grabbed her wrist to stop her. The huntress turned and jammed her elbow in his gut. Keeran threw her to the floor and she hit it hard. She managed to catch herself and Beth looked back up at him, panting. His hat had fallen off and she could finally see his face.

He had pale, strong noble like features with pale blue eyes. His eyes were cold, showing no emotion whatsoever. Two wisps of his ink black hair fell on each side of his face. The rest was still in his ponytail.

"You!" Beth whispered with her emerald orbs wide in shock. Keeran quickly pulled her to her feet before she could say anything else. His grip was firm and it almost hurt. Bethany struggled against him, but couldn't get free. He walked forward, forcing Beth to back up till her back hit the wall. Keeran pinned her to the wall by her wrists.

"Let go!" Beth demanded as she fought against his hold even though he had her trapped.

"Shhh." Keeran told her and pressed himself against her to still Beth. It worked. Beth turned her head to the side so their faces didn't have to be any closer than they had to be. However, she still kept her eyes on him. His grip was firm and it hurt. His fingernails dug into her skin, which was probably why it hurt so much.

"You killed the girl. You're Dracula's son; Mori's brother." Beth said.

Keeran nodded. "Yes."

Bethany shivered. Not only was she kidnapped, but she was kidnapped by Dracula's son, who was the soul-less twin of Mori, her partner and best friend (Wow, this was going to be hard to explain to Jinette.). She had no weapons or means of self defense and she didn't even know where she was. Beth had no way of knowing if anyone even knew she was missing yet. Things weren't looking up for her.

"What do you want?" Beth asked, her voice shaking. She couldn't control it anymore. Not when he was so close.

"Nothing."

"Then why did…"

"I brought you here to keep you with me, Bethany. That's all there is too it."

"Why?" Beth demanded. "Let go, please. You're hurting me."

Her hands had started tingling due to lack of circulation. Slowly, Keeran let go and took a step back so they no longer touched. Beth started rubbing her aching wrists. His fingernails left little cuts on her skin. They weren't deep enough for them to bleed, thank goodness, but they still hurt. Bethany looked back at the boy, who's face was completely blank.

"Don't you know? After everything?" Keeran asked her, sounding almost shocked that Beth didn't know the answer to her own question. "Bethany, I love you."

The girl swallowed and pressed her back against the wall. Oh boy, that wasn't good. Not for her, anyway.

"You've captivated me since the moment I met you." He continued. "I knew from then on…oh Bethany."

Keeran reached out toward her and the girl flinched away. Keeran seemed frustrated, but didn't give up. He ran his fingers over her cheek and then down her neck and finally rested his hand on her shoulder. She shivered in fear.

"I knew I had to make you mine, no matter what." He said. Beth shook his hand off her. She never wanted him to touch her ever again. She knew that probably wouldn't happen, but it was what she wanted.

"That's not love. That's just obsession."

"They are the same." Keeran answered. He then grabbed her wrist. "Come, I have something you should see."

"No." Beth said firmly and yanked her wrist away. "Don't touch me."

"Don't make me use force." Keeran sighed. Bethany still didn't move a muscle. He shook his head. She just had to be difficult. Keeran quickly was by Bethany's side and he picked her up over his shoulder. The girl gasped in surprise. She tried to get away by kicking and thrashing about, but his hold on her was too strong and he refused to let go.

Keeran carried her out of the room, down the hall and into another room. He shut the door and locked it before he set Beth down. Bethany quickly moved away from him. He could kill her in an instant and that was a gamble she didn't want to take. Beth then got a chance to look around the room.

It was a round room with six alcoves evenly placed around it. It was all made of dark stone with three evenly places circles on the floor. The smallest was in the center of the room; the second circle larger than it and the third larger than the second.

Beth moved back toward one of the alcoves. She didn't know how deep they went, but (by the darkness in them) she guessed that it was pretty deep. Maybe there was a door down one of them, a chance of escape. Keeran walked toward the center circle in the room. He paused when he got to it's perimeter and removed a book from under his cloak. Beth then caught sight of the title; _The Immortalis Chronicles._ Her eyes widened just a little. That was the book that she and Mori stole from Dracula. This was the book that had the prophecy in it. How did he get that? Why did he have it? What was in it that he was going to use?

"Where did you get that?" Beth demanded doing her best to keep the fear from her voice. Keeran smirked a little at her from over his shoulder.

"I borrowed it from my sister." He answered. Keeran opened the book and read something aloud, but he spoke so quietly that Beth couldn't hear what was said. Wind suddenly blew around the room, billowing out Keeran's cloak, which made him look much more powerful than he actually was. Beth's hair flew around her face and played with her coattails. The girl closed her coat and crossed her arms over her chest in an attempt to make herself as small as possible. The wind was cold and she had to fight not to shiver. Then again, maybe the wind wasn't the only thing making her shake.

Keeran finished speaking and moved to stand next to Bethany. The wind picked up and steadily grew stronger. As the winds grew, so did Beth's fear. What was going on? What had Keeran done? She wasn't sure. What she was sure of was that it couldn't mean anything good. The wind kept getting more powerful till it stung Beth's face and she could hardly keep on her feet.

A solid column of lightning struck the center circle and more began striking in the area around it. Beth backed up to where her back was against the wall. The single towering lightning bolt in the center of the room began to grow wider. Even more lightning began to strike around them. Soon, it would envelop the entire room.

Keeran quickly grabbed Bethany around the waist and pulled her deep into the nearest alcove. He crouched down on the floor, pulling the girl down with him. He kept his arms securely around her and his own body between the lightning filled room and Bethany. Beth was scared and confused at the same time. Keeran was protecting her. Why? He had no reason to, so why was he doing it?

The lightning stopped as suddenly as it had begun, but Keeran and Beth didn't move till several moments afterward. Keeran stood up and walked out into the center of the room. Beth him watched from the safety of her hiding place. Standing in the center of the room was none other than Count Dracula. Beth fell backward in surprise and shock. No! No! No! He was supposed to be dead! The girl fought to keep her heart rate normal. She was so scared that she wasn't even sure she could do that at the moment. She just sat on the floor in darkness and did her best not to scream or shake.

"Father, you look well." Keeran told him looking smug.

Dracula stretched a little bit, as if getting used to being alive again. He smirked when he saw Keeran. Beth had almost forgotten how vile his smile was.

"Keeran? Why, I haven't seen you since you were a baby. My, you grew up well." Dracula said, obviously pleased. "You got my looks, didn't you? Tell me, where have you been all this time?"

"In France. I was raised by a powerful and wealthy vampire named Leon Reye. I became his apprentice when I became old enough, but for the past six months or so I've been in the Knights of the Hold Order getting information." Keeran said. He smirked a little as well. "The young ladies there were very fond of me."

"I'm sure." The count said with a smirk and laughed quietly to himself. "You are my son after all. Did any of them grab your attention?"

"Just one." Keeran replied with a nod. "She is here, actually. I brought her with me. I'll fetch her." Keeran moved toward Beth's hiding place. Bethany quickly stood up and retreated further back into the alcove. Her hands were shaking so she shoved them into her coat pockets so he couldn't see. Keeran came up to her and she answered before he even spoke.

"No." Beth told him firmly, eyes blazing.

"Beth, what's the harm?"

"I helped _kill_ him, Keeran." Bethany growled, her anger growing and her fear melting away. "It's not like we'll be glad to see each other."

"You are too stubborn for your own good." He growled back at her.

"It runs in the family." Beth answered through gritted teeth.

"What family, Bethany? Your father is dead and your mother is dead. You have no family except for your pathetic friends, who probably haven't even realized that you're gone!" Keeran told her and grabbed onto her arm.

In an act fueled by anger, Beth shoved Keeran as hard as she could in the chest. The boy fell backward since she caught him off guard. He stumbled into the light before falling flat on his back. Keeran got up, clearly very unhappy.

"Having problems?" Dracula asked his son. He seemed to be amused by this little show.

"She isn't very happy with me at the moment." Keeran said as he stood up.

"Neither was your mother." Dracula replied with a smirk. No, Trissa had not been very happy with him at all.

"I may just have to be more persuasive." Keeran answered and stalked back into the dark alcove.

Beth had her hands balled up into fists from her anger. They were clenched so tight that her knuckles had turned white. Her anger melted away into fear as Keeran came toward her. Bethany backed up till her back hit the wall of the alcove. Keeran grabbed her arm. His grip tighter than he had before. Beth tried to shake him off, but Keeran refused to let go.

"You will do as I say." He told her furiously.

"I will do what I want." Beth replied sternly. Keeran squeezed down on her arm. She winced in pain and tried to pull away. Keeran still held onto her.

"Stop that." Keeran said firmly. He put a hand on her other arm and pinned her against the wall. Beth struggled against him, but he didn't move.

"Shhh. Calm down." He told her gently.

"Let go." Beth demanded.

"Shhh. Everything will be alright."

Beth felt her eyelids grow heavy and her will was crumbling. She shook her head out to clear it. It was a spell of some kind. It had to be. She had to fight it. She couldn't let Keeran win.

"No." Bethany told him firmly and shook his hand off her. "Stay away from me."

"Bethany, I will not hesitate in using force."

"And I will not hesitate in breaking your nose." Beth growled at him. "_Stay away from me_."

Beth made sure that all her words were said slowly and carefully so Keeran could understand her. She crossed her arms over her chest and closed herself off. She was shaking slightly all over her body. She just hoped that it wasn't enough for Keeran to notice.

"Bethany," Keeran began. He reached out and brushed a piece of her hair out of her face. Beth turned her face away at his touch before he spoke gently to her again. "just come with me."

"No." Beth answered calmly.

"I promise nothing will happen to you."

"That still doesn't mean that I'll do it." Beth answered.

Keeran took a step toward her. Only mere inches separated them now. How was he going to pull this off? Bethany was being far more stubborn than he anticipated. She was also onto his tricks, which made things even more complicated. Well, go for the obvious.

Keeran grabbed Bethany by the arms and threw her toward the opening of the alcove. Beth stumbled backward into the light, barely managing to stay on her feet. She ran into something and looked up to see that she was face to face with Count Dracula. Beth swallowed and backed away from him as quickly as she could. His face was the one that haunted her nightmares. She had prayed that she would never have to see him again. The girl took another step back and ran right into Keeran.

"Hello Bethany." The Count told her with a smirk on his face.

"She's a wise choice, is she not?" Keeran asked and slipped an arm around her waist. Beth quickly shoved him away. Keeran didn't move, but she managed to get away from him because she stumbled back.

"Don't touch me." Beth said to him firmly.

"She is, Keeran. She is." Dracula told his son and then his eyes fell on the young huntress. "Fierce, independent, and we already know that she can fight well. A dangerous, yet useful combination."

Beth pretended not to hear. She had shoved her hands into her pockets to hide the fact that they were shaking. She was scared, no doubt about that. Still, that didn't mean that it had to show. The young huntress wouldn't give them the pleasure of seeing her frightened.

"Not to mention beautiful." Keeran said and reached out to touch her. Beth smacked his hand away. Keeran grabbed her wrist and pulled her toward him. Beth jerked her hand away and backed away from him.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to touch me?!" Beth growled at Keeran.

"What do you think is going to happen, Bethany? That you will be saved by your precious William?" Keeran said with his anger showing in his voice.

"I can save myself." Beth told him.

"Not this time." Keeran said and took a few steps toward her. "I will keep you and there is nothing you can do about it."

"Want to bet?" Beth snapped back. "Even if I don't get out on my own, I _will_ with help."

"Do you think that Mori and Will will risk it?" Keeran cut her off.

"Mori would do it on her own and Will has _never_ let me down."

"So you finally found a boyfriend." Dracula cut in.

"He is _not_ my boyfriend!" Beth answered. Keeran slapped her across the face to silence her. The girl did her best to not let the pain show even though the throbbing sting was spreading across her features. Keeran noticed this and had to try not to smirk. He had her.

"You must be tired. I'll take you back to your room." Keeran told her. He tried to put his arm around Beth, but she backed away. Keeran gave her a look. "Now don't be difficult."

Keeran wrapped an arm around her waist before Bethany could protest and led her back to her room. Once back in there, Keeran let go and Beth quickly moved away from him. He sighed.

"Bethany, why…"

"Would you if you had been in my situation?" Beth cut him off. She had her fists in her pockets to hide them. They were shaking. Keeran put a hand on her shoulder. Beth tried to shake it off, but he refused to let go.

"Sleep well, darling." He told her. Keeran pulled her around gently to face him. Beth's hands came out of her pockets, ready to defend herself. Keeran took her hand and kissed the back of it. Beth had to fight not to shiver. His skin was cold and the fact that his lips touched her skin was disturbing in itself. Keeran let go before he left the room, locking the door behind himself.

Beth began shaking violently and she fell to her knees. All the fear and anger she felt before was flowing out of her. She wanted to cry, but knew that she'd be heard.

"Oh God." She whispered to herself as she did her best to remember to keep breathing even though her chest felt too tight to let her do so.

"Oh God."

- - -

Mori went up to the door of Valerious Manor and knocked on it. Will was behind her, anxiously waiting to see who lived in the grand house before him. Mori crossed her arms and then rubbed the bridge of her nose. Will didn't recognize the sign that she was thinking. Neither did Van Helsing or Carl. Bethany was really the only one who ever caught it. She was the only one who ever noticed the little things like that.

There were still so many questions that were unanswered. How were they going to find Keeran? Where were he and Bethany? Was Beth even alright? If not, what happened? Had she even guessed right when she thought that he'd be in Transylvania? There were just too many variables to consider, much to Mori's dislike.

The door to the manor opened and Mori was brought out of her thoughts. A sixteen year old girl stood in the doorway. She was pretty with pale skin and long mud brown curls. She had large hazel eyes as well, which was a miracle in itself after what she'd been through. She was a couple inches shorter than Mori herself. The girl was petite and looked fragile, but that was far from the truth. The newcomer smiled when her eyes fell on Mori.

"Mori!" she exclaimed happily.

"Jennifer." Mori greeted her old friend with a nod. The two had been partners for three years until Mori had been forced to continue on her own those short six months ago. In those three years, they had gone through a lot. Jen had found out about Mori's heritage and Jen had been turned into the very same kind of monster she had hunted all her life. However, the young Valerious somehow managed to keep her soul and her humanity. Mori was still trying to figure that one out. Now, Jen preferred to stay in Transylvania with her aunt, Anna Valerious, so they can keep each other out of trouble. So far, it was working.

"We got your message." Jen told her. "Come in. You all must be freezing."

She stepped to the side and Mori, Will, Carl and Van Helsing entered the house. Jen eyed Will as he past her before she shut the door. Mori caught the look and quickly spoke up.

"Jennifer Valerious, this is Bethany's friend, William Larc." Mori introduced them, being sure to put emphases on 'Bethany's friend' so she would get the picture. Will didn't know it yet, but Mori had him reserved. "He's a chemist and field trainer at the Order."

"Nice to meet you." Jen said smiling at the boy. Will gave her a weak smile back. He was tired and he was worried. The journey had been pretty hard on him. They just could never move fast enough and the speed they were going was wearing him thin. Not to mention, he hadn't been sleeping since his thoughts wouldn't stay quiet long enough. His imagination kept running away with him. He didn't have much energy left to stay standing, let alone be social.

"Will, why don't you go get a room and take a bath. You'll feel better." Carl told his nephew. Again, Will didn't speak. He just nodded and left them all standing in the hallway. Carl sighed and then spoke to no one in particular.

"He hasn't been sleeping."

"Similar to what Bethany would be doing." Mori mumbled furiously. She blamed herself for the situation they were in. Why hadn't she seen it? Why hadn't she stopped Keeran? It was her fault. Had she told Bethany…had she been prepared…it might not have happened. She shook her head and then turned to Jen. "Well?"

"Something's here. I know it." Jen answered, understanding completely what Mori was asking. "I could feel someone using massive amounts of power three nights ago."

"How much?" Mori asked sternly as she pulled off her riding gloves and stuck them inside her cloak.

"Enough to catch my attention within three seconds." Jen said. Mori nodded without looking up at her. She then moved her eyes to the young Valerious.

"Yes, that is quite a bit." She mumbled, thinking. Who would be using that much power? Could it really be Keeran? Could he be that powerful? Again, more variables that had to be taken into consideration.

"Jen, how can you 'sense' power?" Van Helsing asked her, cutting into their conversation. "That wasn't a vampire ability last time I checked."

"Well," Jen looked down. "strange things started happening to me before I was turned and…well, it didn't make sense till three months ago when those strange happenings turned into powers. I'm a low class witch. I can't do much though, but…"

"Wait a second. Did you say witch?" Van Helsing asked raising his eyebrows. Jen nodded.

"Didn't Mori tell you this? She's the one who cleared it all up for me." Jen inquired and looked at Mori, who shook her head.

"I haven't had contact with them for about six months, princess. No, I didn't tell them."

"Oh." Jen replied. "Well, I'm a witch."

Suddenly, they all heard a loud crash from upstairs and a groan of pain. Their heads jerked toward the noise, Van Helsing's hand moving to his revolver. Mori had already drawn hers.

"Sorry!" came Will's voice. "I'll fix that!"

Carl sighed as Mori shook her head and returned her firearm to the folds of her cloak. Carl then rubbed his temples. "He probably walked into a suit of armor again."

"He's done that before?" Van Helsing asked as he removed his hand from inside his coat.

"Four…five times." Carl corrected himself.

Van Helsing almost smiled. He was too tired to smile. He was too worried to smile. Only two things could possibly make him feel any better. One was having Bethany back safe and sound, but that wasn't an option right now. That only left one person.

"Jen, where's Anna?"

"In the armory." Jen replied. Van Helsing nodded and quickly left for the armory.

"I'm going to go help Will. With our luck, something in his coat will go off and blow out a wall." Carl mumbled and vanished down the hall. Jen then looked at Mori, who seemed to be thinking about something. Jen knew that that usually wasn't a good thing.

"Mori, what exactly is going on, and where's Beth?" Jen asked worriedly. "Did something happen?"

Mori glanced at the girl and remained calm as ever even though her eyes showed that something was taking up her thoughts. It was obvious that she was worried.

"Jen, you have to know something. When an immortal and a human have children, the children are always twins. One, the first born, has no soul. The second born does." Mori started. Jen just nodded.

"So, that's why you're here, isn't it?" Jen asked. "Your evil twin?"

"Yes." Mori nodded. "His name is Keeran and I believe he came here. He has kidnapped Bethany."

"What!" Jen demanded. Beth? Kidnapped? Oh, not good. That was not good at all.

"I know! I know." Mori exploded and then controlled herself, her voice growing quiet. Clearly, she was under a great amount of stress.

"Mori, nothing has happened here." Jen told her. "No one has even died. Not a thing has occurred except for a werewolf on occasion and it's been at least a month since we've even heard one."

"He's probably lying low." Mori thought out loud. "Keeran is arrogant, but he's not stupid. He'd know we'd be coming. He knows that he's not a match for all of us on his own."

Jen looked down and licked her lips. She then looked back up at Mori, her eyes uncertain.

"Mori, what if he got help?" Jen sounded scared. Mori glanced at her and then turned away, her face and eyes cold.

"Then we're in trouble."


	10. Notes

CHAPTER NINE

Bethany tossed and turned asleep in her bed with the covers pulled around her. Nightmares were haunting her sleep once again. They never seemed to give her a moment's peace. Even in her dreams, she wasn't safe anymore. Finally, Beth bolted upright in bed, her eyes wide since she woke in fear. She quickly flung out her hand to stop whatever was floating from crashing to the floor on reflex. Her powers were acting up again and it was more unusual for something not to be flying around the room that to have something flying. Her control hadn't gotten worse, but she wasn't using her powers now. Apparently, they were going to find someway out, one way or another. To her surprise, the thing that was floating was the bed she was in. Gently, she set it back on the floor attempting not to make too much noise incase someone should hear. She then sighed, partially in relief and partially in annoyance.

Bethany threw the covers off herself and stood up, her bare feet touching the cold floor below her. The girl had to fight not to shriek from surprise, the stone was so cold. She quickly put on her boots in an attempt to keep her toes warm. Beth couldn't remember the last time she was warm. She was always shivering or had her coat wrapped around her. Wherever she was, it was cold…_very_ cold. Why couldn't vampires ever pick hiding places that were warm? Oh right, because that would be convenient. In her life, nothing was convenient. The girl grabbed her coat and pulled it on over her shoulders. Well, she would've if she could find her coat. She had set it in the chair the day before, but it wasn't there now. Could it have moved in her sleep? Where did it go?

"Good morning, Bethany."

The girl jumped and turned toward the door to see Keeran. Her stomach fell as did her heart. Why did he always have to be around? To make things worse, in his hand was her coat. Well, that answered one question.

"May I have my coat back please?" Beth said holding out her hand. Keeran paused for a moment, an amused smirk on his face before he handed it to her. Surprised that he did what she asked, the girl took it quickly so they wouldn't touch and pulled it over her shoulders. Well, she was warmer, but not warm entirely. Still, every little bit helped and having her coat did make her feel better. Beth pulled her coat around herself for comfort. It was something familiar in an unfamiliar and honestly quite frightening place. It almost gave her a sense of security. Right now, that sense of security was the only thing keeping her sane.

"Out of curiosity, my dear…" Keeran began and pulled something out of his pocket. Beth, who hadn't been looking at him before, glared up at him. "why were you carrying this around?"

Keeran held up a necklace on a silver chain. The pendant was a deep blue stone with the profile of an angel on it in diamond. Bethany froze. He found her mother's necklace. Oh God, what was he going to do with it?

"Give it back, Keeran." Beth told him, her voice frozen and dangerous. She leaned forward to grab it, but Keeran jerked it out of reach.

"Is it important to you?" he asked smirking. Beth glared at him. She knew that he knew it was because of how she had just tried to get it back. Why was he making her say it out loud?

"Just give it back!" Beth demanded, sounding slightly panicked. She tried to grab the jewel again, but it still evaded her because of Keeran's speed.

"I think I'll keep it, unless you can prove that it is of no use to me." The dark boy teased her. Apparently, he was having too much fun with his game of keep-the-family-heirloom-away-from-Beth.

"Keeran, it was my mother's. It's just a trinket. Give it back, please." She hated that she had to do this, but if it got the necklace back, it would be worth it. That necklace was the only thing Beth had left of her mother's. It meant the world to her. Keeran looked at Beth's face and then at her outstretched hand. The girl couldn't believe that she was almost begging someone to do something. Worse, she was almost begging _Keeran_. Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

"I'll keep it." He said and the jewel vanished into the black folds of his cloak. Beth's hand balled up into a fist and it fell to her side. Both her hands stayed clenched to vent her anger. She turned away from Keeran and closed her eyes. Oh God, this could not be happening. Her entire world was falling apart around her and she had no control over it. She felt trapped. Every small comfort she had was slowly fading away, leaving her unsheltered. She didn't think her sanity could take much more. Bethany fought not to shake from fear, anger and sorrow. It was all pressing against her chest from the inside out, making her feel like she would explode. She would not cry. She would _not_ cry. Suddenly, Beth realized that there was a pair of hands on her shoulders.

"No death threat yet?" came Keeran's voice in her ear. She could feel his breath on her skin when he spoke. It was so cold. She couldn't help but shiver involuntarily. She could hear the smirk in Keeran's voice when he spoke again. "You really are losing your touch."

"Get away from me." Beth demanded shaking him off. She moved away from him, but didn't look back at the boy at all. She was just too mad and she didn't want him to see that he had almost won. He had almost broken her. She refused to give him that pleasure. She would never let him think that he'd won, never.

"I'll leave you, then." Keeran said. She could feel his eyes on her back. He didn't move for a moment and neither did Beth. Finally, Keeran turned and left, locking the door behind himself. With him finally gone, Beth fell to her knees, shaking and near the point of tears. Things were getting worse and she was about to crack. The worst part was that she knew it and she couldn't do anything to change it. She had to keep her powers from Keeran, but that meant not using them. That also meant that they were coming out in other ways. Every nightmare she had sent the room spinning. That meant she couldn't sleep without risking revealing her abilities. She hadn't eaten much in the past three days or slept. Her senses were always on high alert, making her tense and it made it even harder to sleep when she tried. She couldn't keep this up much longer. Her body just couldn't take it, not to mention her mind.

Beth wiped angrily at her watering eyes.

"Get up." She told herself. It was silly to sit here, weeping on the floor. She had to do something other than be helpless. She couldn't be helpless. She wasn't going to go down without a fight. Beth forced herself to her feet and placed a hand inside her pockets in an attempt to warm her frozen hands. Deep in the corner of her pocket, Beth felt something she hadn't before. It was paper. The paper was folded so tightly and smoothly, that the texture almost vanished into the leather. That was probably why she had never felt it before. Beth pulled it out and then sat on the edge of the bed. What was this? She didn't remember putting anything in her coat pocket. Then again, the last time she might have done that was before Keeran had kidnapped her. Since then, he had made sure that all her weapons had been removed. He must have missed this in his search. The papers were a note addressed to her. It was sealed with red wax and a cross seal. Beth had to smiled slightly. It was from Mori. She'd recognize her seal anywhere. The girl pulled the note open and another, unsealed piece of paper fell into her lap. It was another note, again, addressed to her. Bethany left the unsealed note in her lap and read the one with the seal. Yep, it was from Mori. Beth knew her long, neat handwriting anywhere.

_Dear Bethany,_

_I must tell you something, but you are sleeping at the moment, so I'll leave you this note inside your coat pocket where you are sure to find it. What I have to tell you is very important and you are in terrible danger. I know Keeran has taken a liking to you from your numerous, spite-filled rants about him. Bethany, Keeran is high up on the list of people we suspect and has been on it since the beginning. You have to be careful around him. We worry; William and I. He worries about you, Bethany. I have found him to be fairly competent when matters that concern you have come up. Trust him._

_Mori _

"I get this _now_." Beth mumbled to herself. She hated irony right now, but a small smile was pulling at the corners of her mouth. She did feel a little bit better. Mori had tried to warn her. She just got the message too late. Well, at least Mori was trying to prepare her. Too bad she just had terrible luck. If Keeran had waited one more night, Beth probably wouldn't be here now. Sighing, Beth then picked up the letter in her lap. There wasn't a wax seal on it or anything. It was just folded into equal thirds. The girl unfolded it and recognized the messy, large hand writing as Will's. What did he want? Bethany was sure that he didn't want to speak to her anymore. She remembered the last time she saw Will and that stupid fight they had…over Keeran. Now, she regretted leaving the way she did. Will couldn't have known. Shaking those memories out of her head, Bethany read the note.

_Dear Beth,_

_I have to tell you that I am truly sorry. I know that you could never do what I said. I just don't like Keeran around you. I don't trust him. You don't see the way he looks at you, like your some treasure that can be easily stolen. He'll do anything to take you away from me and I don't want that. I hate him for that, which is why my reaction was so severe. He's nothing but a power hungry prick and I don't like it that he has set his sights on you. I'm worried about you, Angel. I don't want to see you hurt, and I didn't mean to hurt you. I hope that you can forgive me. I want you safe. Even if you don't forgive me, please just be careful._

_Will_

As Beth read, the note got harder and harder to read because her hand was shaking so badly. It took her several tried to read the last two lines. Will wanted her safe. He did care about her then. _Please just be careful,_ he had asked her. Well, this wasn't exactly careful, now was it? When she was finished, Beth quickly folded both notes up as they originally were and put them back in her pocket. It took her a little longer than it should have because her hands were still shaking. She then quickly pulled her coat closer around her, her hand over the pocket that held her notes. They cared about her and they would find her. She just had to hang on till then. God, she needed them with her now. She needed to see them, but it helped to know that they were still out there. Beth missed them. It was so hard. No comfort, no safety, just constant anxiety. She needed her friends. No, they weren't friends at all. They were family, and she missed them more than anything. Then there was Will…Oh goodness, Will. She closed her eyes to keep the tears that were welling up in them from falling.

"Will." She whispered, her desperation for him evident in her voice. "Oh Lord, I want to go home."

- - -

There was a loud explosion and Mori jumped slightly. After several days, she still hadn't gotten used to Will's experiments that were forever going wrong. She closed the book she was reading and went to the room that Will had set up as a lab. She need to at least make sure that the boy hadn't hut himself. Mori opened the door to hear William cursing under his breath. She almost smiled. Well, at least she knew he hadn't planed that explosion. Will, who still hadn't seen Mori, pulled his goggles off and ran his fingers through his hair. He had been working on this for days. Why wasn't it right yet? Maybe because his brain wasn't exactly on his work.

"Having problems?" Mori asked calmly. Will jumped and turned around like a frightened rabbit. It was almost cute.

"I didn't see you there, Mori." He said, one hand clutching his heart. It was racing. Mori could hear that. However, most of the fear was gone from his eyes. Why didn't Bethany ever act like this when Mori entered a room? Oh right, it was because Bethany was used to her.

"Most people don't." the dark girl answered flatly. Her eyes scanned over the chemicals that Will had laid out across the long table he was working at. The table was covered in papers that were covered in his messy handwriting. It vaguely reminded her of Carl's work station. The only difference was that Logan was napping in a chair in the corner. Well, napping wasn't exactly the right word. Watching intently was more like it. The dog had his ears pointed toward William even though his eyes were on his master. The dark girl gave the boy a look. "May I ask what is causing such a ruckus?"

"I'm not really sure." Will answered quietly as he shuffled papers around to create some space on the table. He blew a fire out that he had going under a beaker before he ran his hand through his hair again. Mori just watched him. The boy's mind was obviously not on his work. "I'm just testing various things at the moment."

Mori nodded. He was staying busy. He was trying to keep his mind off of something…or someone. Well, wasn't that what they were all doing? Mori knew that Gabriel was doing the exact same thing. She would never admit it, but Mori was doing everything she could to keep her mind away from her worry about her long time partner. One thing was for sure, Keeran would soon realize how big of a mistake he had made.

"Do you need any help?" Mori asked, attempting to be polite. Will paused, thinking. His sapphire eyes were one Mori when he tilted his head slightly. Oh dear, the boy had an idea. Well, this could be problematic for Mori if he had anything dangerous in mind. Logan jumped off his chair and made his way over to Mori, who absentmindedly patted his head. Logan wasn't going to complain. The dog looked at Will and tilted his head in the same direction, as if to ask what he was thinking. Finally, Will was able to put his thoughts into words.

"You've been hunting longer than I have." He almost hesitated, wondering if he should ask what he was about too. Still, it would definitely help him, maybe even Bethany. It demanded to be asked. "What do you know about vampires?"

Mori tensed up a little bit, but didn't let it show. Naturally, he would ask the one question that was getting dangerously close to her little secret. William didn't know about her condition, and Mori wanted to keep it that way for as long as possible.

"I know quite a bit." Her voice smooth and calm. After over two hundred years of being secretive, Mori had become a phenomenal actress. Will didn't pick up on a thing. Will nodded once before he started moving papers around on the table. Finally, he found what he wanted, a blank piece of paper and a pencil. Will sat down on a work stool before he glanced up at Mori. The girl was giving him a look. This was quickly turning into an interview of some kind.

"Could you tell me what you know?" he asked her as politely as possible. He was twirling the pencil between his fingers, unable to sit still for too long. Still, his face was calm and looked as if he was talking to an old friend. He wasn't sure if he and Mori were friends or not, but they were at least allies. That was good enough for him. Mori sighed in exasperation and looked at Will. He just looked right back at her, simply waiting for an answer. She had to admit that the boy had more patience than most his age.

"Alright." Mori answered finally and pulled up a stool. She sat down and crossed her legs before Logan curled up at her feet. He rested his head on his paws, but he kept his ears up, listening to their entire conversation. After taking a breath, Mori began. "Vampires are immortal creatures, members of the walking dead. They need blood of others to sustain their life. Their own blood is dead, so they need live blood to keep their bodies alive."

Will nodded as he started scribbling down information. Well, that made perfect sense to him. Mori didn't hesitate in continuing. There was so much to tell and so little time to get it all out. She didn't want this to be a long conversation.

"Vampires don't have souls. Therefore, it's hard to kill them because of their undead state. Their body must go back to the way they were when they were alive, so they heal very quickly. The only ways to kill them are by spraying them with holy water, burning them, cutting off their heads or staking them through the heart. After one of those things has been done, the ashes must be scattered or else the vampire will heal and cease to be dead. Those methods only work on the lesser ones, of course. It takes extreme amounts of power to kill higher vampires, like Dracula."

"How much power?" Will asked curiously. He had looked up at her and was tapping the end of his pencil on the table. The look in Mori's eyes hardened and Will stopped tapping his pencil. Of course, the cause of Mori's annoyance was not William. It was the subject he was on.

"A lot." Her voice was frozen. It was clear that that was all the detail she was going to give. "They are fast as well. Vampires can't go out in sunlight either or they'll burn up. They are strictly creatures of the night. Since their bodies aren't used to sunlight after being dead, the body dries up when there is too much exposure. Crucifixes will keep them at bay since they are a kind of unholy demon as will garlic and red roses. Vampires can only cross large bodies of water in their coffin. Don't ask me why, I haven't figured that part out yet. They also have no reflection. I don't fully understand why, so don't ask. All I can tell you is that it has something to do with their undead state. Is that enough?"

Will nodded, scribbling frantically on the piece of paper. Well, he certainly picked the right person to ask on this one. Mori was a fountain of information. Finally, once he had finished and glanced over his notes to make sure he hadn't missed anything, Will set down his pencil and glanced up at the dark girl. "Do you handle a lot of vampire assignments?"

Mori simply nodded. "I do."

"How many?" Will seemed intrigued. He'd never gone up against any major vampires before. Well, he'd have to see if bullets and explosives worked on them…mainly explosives.

"Too many." Mori's voice was frozen once again.

Will then fell silent for a moment. He looked up at Mori. He could see why she had the deadly reputation she did. She was dark and mysterious, but she certainly didn't look like a murderess, which made the monsters surprised when she killed them. However, it was obvious that she knew what she wanted. The air of confidence around her couldn't help but be noticed. The girl was an absolute _force_ and one that was not messed with without dire consequences. Still, she had managed to surprise the young chemist.

"You aren't bad, Mori." Will told her as he got up. He moved back to his chemicals, lighting a small fire under a beaker. Mori's icy eyes followed him as did Logan's. The dog rose to his feet and padded over to the boy. Will smiled at the wolf-like canine and patted his head. Logan seemed pleased. "Despite what your reputation says."

"And what is my reputation?" Mori sounded very converstional, as if the answer really had evaded her. Will couldn't believe that her own reputation would have done such a thing. Will shrugged as he let the flame grow higher.

"That all you are is a cold, heartless killer that's unstoppable."

"They got one thing right then." Mori answered, a teasing smiled dancing in her eyes. Will just looked up at her questioningly, moving only his eyes to look at her. Secretly, he was hoping that the one part that was true wasn't the heartless killer part. Mori almost smiled when she continued.

"I am unstoppable."


	11. Information

CHAPTER TEN

Keeran sat next to the fire even though he couldn't fell it's warmth. It had been six days, almost a week since Bethany had joined them. She still hadn't broke. Keeran thought that she surely would have by now, or at least given up. No, she was still holding out. What was baffling him was how to persuade her. Bethany was one of the most determined and stubborn people he had ever met. She wouldn't easily change her mind. She was defiant, which only made the challenge that much more appealing. He couldn't threaten her. She wasn't scared of him or death. She had also been able to resist his charm. What else could he try? He could just turn her and be done with it. Well, things will definitely go one way or another.

Keeran glanced outside at the dying sun. Forty-five minutes, maybe, till it was dark. Forty-five minutes till he saw her. Keeran shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Night this evening would bring something else along with it's darkness. It had been too long, for him and his father. However, his father was stronger than him. No, Keeran would be on his own tonight. The power was pulling at him now. He could almost think of nothing else. Forty-five minutes left to wait, just forty-five. Surely, he could wait that much longer.

- - -

Mori returned her dagger into the folds of her cloak. She had just cleaned it for maybe the third time this week. She was getting restless, so she knew her twin was getting the same feeling. Mori rarely felt restless. She just knew something was going to happen. She didn't know when or how, but something big was going to take place…and soon. All she had to do was watch, wait, and keep herself busy with things until something happened.

Will walked in followed closely by Jen. He had taken off his usual brown vest and only had his coat over his arm. He had come from working. That was obvious by the smudges on his shirt, which had been white at one time, and his pants. He never wore any leather while working and he had his goggles strapped on top of his head, another obvious clue as to what the boy had been doing all day. Jen looked worried, but exasperated at the same time. Mori knew the look well.

"Will, you aren't going to look again?" she asked him. "Van Helsing and Anna…"

"Are only two people." Will cut her off. He seemed irritated. Apparently, Mori wasn't the only one getting restless about their situation. "And yes, I am going out…"

"It's a full moon!" Jen almost broke Mori's eardrums, her voice was so shrill.

"…to get some practice." Will finished as he slipped on his coat. "Really, I am."

"I've heard that lie before." Mori said as she walked over to him. Their heads whipped over to look at Mori. Neither of them had noticed that they were sharing the room with her. Will still had to get used to that. After nearly three and a half years, Jen wasn't used to it either. Only Bethany was. Logan, who was at Mori's feet, tilted his head at the two. Will just looked at her curiously, wanting Mori to elaborate. She looked at Will when she responded. "It came out of Bethany's own mouth."

Will sighed and picked up a sword. Mori took it from his hand and set it back in it's rightful place. Will just looked at her. Mori gave Will a stern look. Logan stood, sensing the tension in the room, his ears pressed forward to hear their conversation. There was no way Mori was letting this boy out of her sight. Bethany wouldn't be very happy with her if she did. Mori wouldn't be happy with herself. She had gotten enough people hurt over the years and wasn't about to add him to her list. William looked frustrated and heart broken at the same time.

"I just can't stand it. I can't stand just sitting here and doing nothing while…while she's out there."

"You're staying alive, which is exactly what Bethany wants." Mori told him gently, but she understood what he meant with all her heart. Will wasn't the only one that this had been hard on. Mori blamed herself for it, but she had to get over her own self pity if they wanted to find her partner and long-time friend. However, even though she felt it didn't mean she had to show it. "Now, don't go doing something foolish that would upset her."

Will seemed upset and maybe even angrier than before. He turned on his heel and stalked out of the room without another word. Yes he was angry, but not at Mori. He was angry at himself, for not doing anything, for Mori saying what he knew but would never admit. He needed to cool down and get his head together. He started heading back to his lab.

Mori sighed and looked out at the slowly rising moon. Jen was right, it was full tonight. Logan tilted his head and looked up at his master. Mori scratched the back of one of his ears. Logan gently licked her fingers as a thank you. The dark girl smiled softly. At least someone still liked her.

"He and Beth are so much alike and they don't even know it." Jen sighed.

"Yes they are." Mori answered with a small nod. They were stubborn and determined. It's amazing the two got along for so long without killing each other. The room suddenly grew darker and the two glanced out the window to see a large shape heading toward the village silhouetted against the moon. Mori and Jen looked at each other and then quickly ran out into the hall, Logan at their heels. They found Will doing the exact same thing they were. He had pulled off his goggles and they had disappeared into one of the pockets of his coat.

"You saw it too?" Jen asked him. Will nodded as they ran to the entrance hall. Mori then threw open the front door to let themselves out. They had no time to waste. Mori didn't know for sure what that thing was, but she had her suspicions. If she was right, it could lead them to Bethany.

"Then hurry up!"

Mori, Jen and Will got into the village rather quickly. It was cold outside, very cold. Will could see his breath making ghosts in front if him in the night. He pulled his coat closed to try and stay warm. Jen and Mori didn't seem bothered by the cold at all. Maybe they were just used to it.

"What was it and where did it go?" Jen asked as her hazel eyes scanned the square. Logan had his ears flat against his head and teeth bared. Obviously, he was feeling threatened. They all were.

"Shhh." Mori hushed her. She was listening very carefully. There, in the distance, the subtle sound of moving cloth. "He's close. I know it."

"How?" Will asked as he raised an eyebrow at her. Mori's eyes didn't even move to him when she answered.

"I've been doing this too long."

Keeran heard their conversation from his hiding place in the shadows. They were already here! My, they didn't waste time. Well, his sister never was one to do such a thing. To top everything off, they brought William! That was the entire reason he brought Bethany here, to get her away from him. Not to mention that Mori was here too. This could complicate things. If Mori and Will were here, that also meant that Gabriel Van Helsing wasn't far off. Keeran melted back into the shadows. He would fight, but not tonight. What he had to do now was deliver the news.

- - -

Bethany had her coat pulled closely around her. It was freezing and she was attempting to stay warm. It wasn't working very well. She was beginning to curse a vampire's liking to cold. She was shaking, curled up in a chair in the corner of the room. She had yet to find a method to keep warm. It was getting to the point where Beth was starting to feel that she would never be warm again. The door opened and Beth looked up to see Keeran walking through it. Great. His appearance only added to her sour mood, as did the slightly smug look on his face.

"Tired?" he asked, tilting his head at her.

"No, cold. _Very_ cold. What do you want?" Beth retorted as she stood up on her feet. She didn't want Keeran looking down at her. There was no way she was going to face him sitting down.

"Come, we have things to discuss." Keeran said and offered her his hand. Beth just looked at it and then glanced at Keeran, one eyebrow raised. Her answer was clear on her face and it was no. Keeran sighed in exasperation or irritation. Beth couldn't tell which it was.

"Bethany, I will be taking you with me one way or another. Must you make it difficult?" he asked her.

"Yes." Beth nodded with no hesitation whatsoever. Beth allowed herself to look a little smug. She was annoying him. Good. It's about time someone did.

"Fine then. We'll do things the hard way." Keeran said. The girl gave him a questioning look. Keeran just smirked before he vanished and suddenly reappeared right behind her. He wrapped his arms around her waist. He did this all before Bethany could even blink. The second she felt his arms around her, Beth struggled against him, but he refused to let go. Keeran whirled her around to face him, one arm still around her waist and the other on her arm.

"Now stop that." He told her and pulled Bethany against him. Beth still fought against him, so Keeran squeezed down on her arm. The girl winced in pain and finally had to stop struggling to ease the pain in her throbbing muscle. Keeran just smirked at her. The girl narrowed her emerald eyes at him. Beth hated that smirk. She wanted to slap it right off his face and slap him so hard that it knocked him back in time at least one hundred years! It said _I got my way and I love it!_ She never wanted to see it again.

"That's better." Keeran said, that terrible grin still plastered over his features. He moved his hand off her arm and put his hand on her back before he pulled her closer to him. Beth tried to pull away, but his grip was too strong. He leaned down to her, but Beth quickly put a stop to whatever he was thinking.

"If you try, so help me God, I will murder you." It was obvious she meant it by the tone in her voice.

Keeran raised his eyebrows and leaned back. Apparently, she'd take more convincing. She was feisty and wild, but he liked that. The clock tower began to chime and Keeran sighed.

"Now you've made us late." He said and dragged Bethany out the door. He roughly guided her down a hallway and into another room. It wasn't easy since Beth kept trying to get away from him. Never the less, he managed to keep his hold on the girl. Keeran didn't let go of Beth till he had locked the door.

"I was beginning to wonder what took you so long, Keeran." Came Dracula's voice. Beth's blood ran cold. She didn't even turn around to look at the vampire. Instead, she took in the room to distract himself from his presence. It wasn't easy to ignore. The air was colder and Beth's stomach tied itself into knots the way it always did when danger was close. That was one thing that Dracula and Mori had in common. The air in the room changed whenever they entered and Beth couldn't ignore it.

The room looked like a library. There were books covering all four walls of the windowless, high-ceilinged room. The floor was stone and the fireplace was as well. There were two chairs and a couch around the fireplace, the couch in the center with the chairs facing inward on each side. There was a fire roaring in the hearth and it lit the small room just enough for Beth to see clearly. She could fell the warmth from where she stood and almost welcomed it. It was the only form of heat she had felt in at least a week.

"I had some trouble persuading her." Keeran answered as an apolgy. Dracula nodded.

"That would be expected. This is Bethany, after all."

Beth crossed her arms over her chest and lowered her head. She was trying to convince herself that she wasn't there. She was not alone in a room with two very dangerous vampires. When that plan of illusion didn't work, she tried to be invisible. That didn't exactly look either. She felt a hand on her arm and looked up to see Keeran. He tried to guide her toward the fireplace, toward Dracula, but Beth pulled her arm free.

"No." Beth told him in barely a whisper.

"Bethany, don't make this difficult."

"If you didn't want to make it difficult then maybe you shouldn't have kidnapped me!" Beth growled at him through her clenched teeth. The anger had returned, giving her the strength to defy him. Dracula's son or not, she would not be ordered around like a small child.

Beth turned her head away from him to tell him that she wasn't interested in anything he had to say. Keeran grabbed her shoulders and forced Beth to look at him. She narrowed her eyes at him again and fought not to blast him with her powers then and there.

"Why must you be so stubborn?" he hissed, clearly unhappy.

"It runs in the family." Beth replied. Keeran sighed and took her wrist. He pulled her across the room and sat her down on the couch. Beth sat at the far end, away from Dracula. Keeran sat at the end by his father, never letting go of Beth's wrist. She kept pulling, trying to get her hand back, but Keeran never let go. Dracula saw this and had to smile slightly to himself. The girl was trapped. It was the perfect revenge against her and her father.

"Now Keeran, you told me that they are already here." Dracula began conversationally. Beth didn't look at him when he spoke, even though her spirits lifted a little. Her friends were here, looking for her. Surely, it wouldn't be too long now.

"That is to be expected, of course." The vampire. "We have something very valuable to them. Did you avoid them?"

"Yes, I thought it'd be best." Keeran answered with a nod. "I know that stealth is key at the moment."

"Plus, Mori would've killed you on sight." Beth mumbled to herself. Keeran glared at her and the girl pretended not to notice. Her eyes were focused on the dancing flames in the fireplace. She did have to admit to herself, the heat felt nice. It was a shame that it was ruined by Keeran's touch.

"She has a point." Dracula said. He was thinking heavily by his expression. "Morianalynn is one of the best fighters I have ever seen."

"Is that her full name?" Keeran asked, sounding pleased. It was obvious that he was going to make fun of Mori for it later. Dracula nodded.

"Morianalynn Allanna Dragulia." He answered. Beth flinched at her best friend's full name. _Her middle name is Allanna?_ She thought to herself. _Oh, that's a terrible name. No wonder she prefers Mori Trice._ Keeran nodded as he thought to himself.

"Good to know." He paused for a moment, thinking again. Beth could only hope that it hurt his head and he died from straining his brain too much. "I don't think that she's that powerful."

"She is." Beth cut in flatly. She had seen herself what Mori could do and it was down right frightening. It was a good thing she was one of the good guys. Keeran squeezed down on her wrist for her comment and Bethany winced. She tried to pull her hand away, but with no success. Keeran held her still, so the conversation continued.

"If Morianalynn is here, you can be sure Gabriel is around as well. Especially since we have Bethany." Dracula said. "She is very valuable to them."

Beth shuddered when Dracula talked about her as if she was property or a treasure of some kind. She felt the tips of her fingers tingle and go numb from how hard Keeran was squeezing down on her wrist. He was probably cutting off her circulation. She wiggled her fingers to make sure that they would still move. Keeran saw this and lessened his grip, but he still held on nonetheless.

"She is quite a treasure." Keeran agreed and glanced at Beth, who glared evilly back at him. She then turned away rather sharply to show that she was not fond of him. Keeran sighed and retuned his attention to his father.

"Now, what do you know about this William Larc boy?" Dracula asked Keeran, thinking of the member of the current threat that he wasn't familiar with.

"Will's here?" Beth asked before she could stop herself, her eyes darting to Keeran.

"Yes. He is." Keeran growled unhappily.

Beth almost allowed herself a small smile, but quickly stopped. No smirking, no looking smug, no emotions tied to Will. They'd kill him for sure if they knew how much she cared about him.

"He is a scientist. His interests lie mainly in chemistry." Keeran continued. He was obviously not happy about the current subject. "William is also a trainer for the Knights of the Holy Order. He is Carl's nephew as well."

"Carl?"

"The friar."

"Oh yes." Dracula answered and then motioned for his son to continue. Keeran nodded and did as he was instructed.

"William is very good at making things explode, usually accidentally. He's also very good with chemicals. When it comes to his work, he's a bit obsessive."

"What about his fighting skills? And what does he know about vampires?" Dracula asked. If the boy's strength was in books, he wouldn't be much of a threat.

"I think Beth could better answer that." Keeran said smirking and turned to her.

"But that doesn't mean I'm going to." Bethany answered quickly and glared daggers at Keeran. She knew what was going on. Dracula was trying to figure out how much of a threat Will was to him and Keeran. If Dracula had enough information to deem him a threat, Will was done for. Bethany wasn't going to let that happen. She would do everything in her power to keep them away from her Will.

"Bethany," Keeran began and squeezed down on her wrist. "Answer us."

"No!" Beth retorted with no hesitation even though her wrist felt like it was breaking. She pulled against him. "Let go of me!"

Beth jerked her hand away, but Keeran still held firm. The girl continued to pull until Keeran finally let go. Beth stood up and stumbled away from him. She held herself and turned away. She wasn't here. Everything would be fine. She just had to hold on a little longer.

"Bethany," she heard Keeran say. She didn't respond and didn't care. She didn't move at all. Her head was pounding, but she didn't let it show. Her headaches and nightmares were growing stronger since she wasn't using her powers. They were finding their way out in other ways, like in her sleep and her headaches. It felt like there was so much pressure inside her that her head was about to split open. She just had to stay calm until it went away.

Keeran sighed and stood up. He went over to Beth and put a hand on her arm. Bethany shrugged it off the second she felt him. Dracula, who had been carefully watching this, had to smirk.

"Another headache, Bethany?" he asked from his seat. She could still hear the smirk in his voice. Beth felt her stomach tie itself into a knot and she bit down on her lower lip to keep from making any noise. Truthfully, she wanted to scream. She didn't answer, so he continued.

"It's getting harder and harder, isn't it? Almost so much it hurts. You try to keep it hidden, but it won't let you forget it. You're breaking, and you know it. It's breaking your will, your body and your very spirit. But you're so stubborn it's blinding you. So, you continue to torture yourself till it's tearing you up, eating at you from the inside out." His eyes never left her back. Beth could feel it.

Beth closed her eyes and balled her shaking hands up into fists. They were also shaking. They weren't shaking in fear, but in fury. Why did that bastard have to be right?!

"Beth, what are you hiding?" Keeran asked her. Beth didn't answer. She didn't even move. Keeran grew angry at her silence.

"Bethany!" he said and turned her around to face him. She quickly pushed him away.

"Don't touch me!" Beth snapped. She couldn't hold everything in and the more she let off her anger, the easier her control would come. Keeran moved toward her and, instead of backing up like he expected her to do, Beth stood her ground. Keeran stopped less than half a foot from her. Bethany just kept glaring at him, but she had to look up slightly since Keeran was taller. If looks could kill, Keeran wouldn't have been alive much longer.

"Do you think that you'll be saved? That your friends and your mentor will just appear by your side? Life doesn't always have a happy ending, Bethany. In the end, they will assume you dead and go back to Rome."

"They won't do that." Beth answered, a dangerous edge to her voice. Green fire flashed in her eyes. "Mori won't do it. Van Helsing definitely won't do it either."

"And why is that?" Keeran demanded harshly. "They way I see it, Van Helsing is an idiot who…"

"Haven't you been paying attention, Keeran!" Beth cut a rather shocked Keeran off. She was fighting to keep her powers under control as her eyes flared from her rage. "Van Helsing is not my _mentor._ He's my _father_."

Before she could see Keeran's reaction, Bethany moved past him to the far corner of the room. It was dark. All the better for hiding the angry tears forming in her eyes. She hugged herself and closed her eyes. She didn't know how much longer she could put up with this. She didn't know how long it would be till she cracked. Beth just managed to send up a silent prayer.

_Heaven help me._

- - -

"Are you sure it was Keeran?" Van Helsing asked. Everyone was sitting in the library discussing what Mori, Jen and Will had just discovered on their little trip to the village. It hadn't been a pretty sight. There had been so much blood that Jen wouldn't go near the house.

"Yes." Mori answered gravely with a shallow nod. "Positive. The girl had two bite marks in her neck that matched the girl's at the Order."

"Then he's here." Anna half added, half asked. She was doing her best to understand this confusing situation. Gabriel had filled her and Jen in with the details about what had happened to Beth and why Keeran was such a threat to them and their people.

"Yes." Mori replied again. She was obviously thinking out loud for their benefit. "The question is where?"

"He wouldn't use Castle Dracula, would he?" Jen asked as she looked up at the dark huntress. Logan had his head in her lap and she was petting him to comfort herself. Logan didn't mind at all. He glanced up at his master, sharing the expectant look Jen had on her face. Mori shook her head.

"No. I looked there the first day we were here." The dark girl said as she continued to pace and think. She had indeed searched her father's former castle. It was completely empty. She had doubted that Keeran would reside there. It was far too obvious. He knew that Mori would come after Beth. Therefore, he hid her well. Also, she doubted that Keeran even knew how to get in there.

"Do we know when he'll strike again?" Carl asked. "If we could find some sort of pattern…"

"…we could intercept him." Will finished for his uncle. Carl nodded and the two focused on Mori.

Mori shook her head no once more. She sighed and then raised a glass filled with red liquid to her lips. She needed it right now. She knew she couldn't put it off anymore because she was getting irritable. Will raised an eyebrow once he saw what she was doing.

"You drink wine?" he asked. Mori almost smirked. Poor oblivious boy.

"Doesn't everyone?" The dark girl then drained the glass of it's contents. Van Helsing had to hide his small smile from Will. He remembered when he bought that story too. Of course, that hadn't lasted very long.

"Then what does anyone suggest we do?" Anna asked, taking the subject off what Mori drank.

"We look around Vaseria and spread out from there, the most obvious places first." Mori instructed as she set the empty glass on the table with a small clink. It wasn't much of a plan, but they couldn't afford to wait around any longer for Keeran to make the first move. People were dying. They needed to spring into action.

"When?" Carl inquired. Mori just glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. The frozen ice was flooded with determination. She didn't hesitate in her response.

"Now."


End file.
